Songwriter
by Kasamyra
Summary: Alex Zellar and her sister moved to Hollywood just before her last year of high school. At Hollywood Arts, Alex encounters new friends, old friends, and a lot of people she dislikes. Throughout the year she has to handle school and the chaos caused by her new friends while juggling the drama of her family, a possible record deal, and her already established songwriting career.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again! This is a new story I've been working on, the idea got into my head and wouldn't leave me alone, so here you all go :)

A few things before we start though, this fic is different from any of my other ones, there are a few things I have done that I actually really hate when other people do, but I think it adds to the story in this case.

First, there are song lyrics. I will give you the names to any songs I use in here. I've made them into a playlist too if anyone is interested. If you use spotify, the playlist link is here: www. spotify .com (forward slash) user (forward slash) 1210839669 (forward slash) playlist (forward slash) 54gs5lBrc8lASk7jkYx7TJ

Just replace the parenthesis with a /

Second new thing, there are a lot of direct quotes from episodes in the 4th season here, but not all the plot lines are taken from them, and some of the episodes are changed because of my OC. Also, the episodes are not gong to be all in order, I've moved some of them around, and I might pull a few episodes from earlier seasons and throw them in to season four, just for fun.

Third, there is a little bit of slightly graphic smut. I don't usually write smut, ever, so no promises that its good, but I think it adds to the story. I will warn you at the top of the chapter if it's R rated or not.

And fourth, The chapters I have written so far vary a lot in length. For example, chapter 7 is only about 3k words, while chapter 10 is 15k words. I have no excuse for this, other than I broke the chapters up by plot instead of word count like I usually do.

Now, as I post this first chapter, I have it written out through chapter 11, but if there is anything in particular you guys would like to see (songs, pairings, characters) let me know and I will see if I can work them in.

As always, thank you for reading! You guys are great.

Songs used in this chapter: Spell on Me by Adelen

* * *

Chapter One

"It looks like some new people are moving in next door." The sentence echoed through the silent room. Even though there were three people sitting at the table eating dinner, none of them spoke to each other. The only sound came from the periodic dings coming from various cell phones, and the soft clink of silverware on plates.

"Hm," the man at the table said, preoccupied with reading his emails. Suddenly his phone rang out a very generic ringtone and he stood from the table. "I need to take this."

"Jade, let's go meet our new neighbors," the woman said, setting her fork down on her empty plate.

"No," Jade said, taking another bite of her dinner and completely ignoring her mothers annoyed look.

"Fine," the woman said, getting up from her chair. "I'll go alone."

"Bye," Jade said, unconcerned. As soon as her parents had both left the room, Jade stood from the table too. There was no point in staying. Her father would be on the phone forever, and her mother would just come back complaining about something their new neighbors had said or done. Jade still wasn't sure why her mother insisted on family dinners twice a week, they never talked during them, and they usually ended in shouting matches. Usually about Jade's appearance or choice of school, sometimes about something her mother said or something her father had missed or forgotten.

Jade left the dishes on the table, knowing that the housekeeper was probably waiting around the corner to put them away when everyone was gone. She walked up the stairs to her room, ignoring the shouting coming from her father's study. It must have been a work phone call then.

Jade considered going out, but it was a Tuesday night and her friends were likely busy. Since she and Beck had broken up nearly eight months ago now, Jade's social outings had gotten scarce. If she had her own place, she wouldn't have minded, but now she had no excuse to get out of the house.

The doorbell rang when Jade reached the top of the steps, and she ignored it as usual, but then it rang twice more in quick succession. She scowled and turned back down the stairs to answer it.

She yanked the door open to see a girl about her age standing there, hands tucked into her very tight black skinny jeans. She was wearing a dark blue tank top and her wrists were covered with knotted cord bracelets. Her hair was a very dark reddish brown, and curly to the point that it stood a few inches off her head before falling down her back. Her ears were pierced multiple times, as was her nose, eyebrow, and lip.

"Uh, hey," the girl said when Jade didn't say anything. "Your mom is over at my house bothering my sister and the second your mom mentioned having a daughter my age my sister literally shoved me out the door."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Jade asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing," the girl said, shrugging a little. "I wouldn't have bothered coming over but I didn't have time to grab my shoes so I can't just go on a walk or anything."

"Not my problem," Jade said, making to shut the door. Most people would have said something about her behavior, but this girl just shrugged as the door was closed in her face and walked down the porch steps, careful to avoid stray pebbles.

Alexandra, or Alex as she preferred to be called, took her time walking back to her house even though the ground was so hot on her feet that it was almost burning. She wasn't used to the sun here, or the heat, and she only had a few outfits that would suit the hot weather.

Before moving there, she hadn't given much thought to Hollywood. All she knew was that it was close to the ocean. Somehow she had never taken a moment to think that L.A. was technically in the desert, which meant that even now, in late May, it was as hot as midsummer back in Seattle where they had lived for the last three years. At least it wasn't as humid here so far.

"I'm back!" Alex called through the front door as she walked inside. None of the rooms were unpacked yet. They had only just begun moving in that morning and while her sister had hired a moving company to get everything inside, none of it was where it should be.

"Oh, didn't you and Jade get along?" The overly polite woman asked, coming into what would eventually be the living room behind Alex's sister, Grace. She was holding a glass of lemonade and Alex took a second to wonder how long it had taken Grace to hunt that out. Grace's hair was almost identical to Alex's, though it was a little lighter red, a little less curly, and she wore it just above her shoulders in length while Alex's fell to the middle of her back.

"Oh yeah totally," Alex said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "She's very charming."

"Anyway, I'd better let you get back to unpacking," she said, turning back to Grace. "I just wanted to come meet our new neighbors."

"It was nice meeting you Mrs. West," Grace said. She was always overly polite with people she had just met, and it bothered Alex. It was like giving them a fake impression of yourself for no reason. Alex would rather have people like her for her, not for some image she showed them. Maybe that was why she had such trouble making friends in new places.

"She was telling me a lot about her daughter, it sounds like you are two peas in a pod," Grace said when the woman had left.

"Yeah," she said, shrugging noncommittally. Alex did not understand her sister's obsession with making new friends. She was perfectly content alone in her bedroom with her guitar or keyboard.

"She goes to some fancy performing arts school," Grace continued as Alex grabbed Mrs. West's discarded lemonade cup and sipped from it.

"Oh?" Alex said, slightly more interested. Moving to Hollywood had been a spur of the moment decision made by her sister, so Alex hadn't even had time to choose a school for her senior year yet, not that she was really concerned with doing so. At eighteen she had already made more than enough money to live off of for the rest of her life. Or she might have if her sister didn't insist on spending said money on a giant house in Hollywood and new cars, and a 'proper wardrobe' as Grace had deemed Alex's new clothing, mostly purchased online and not yet delivered.

Alex, at the age of thirteen, had begun putting her own covers of popular songs up on youtube. Within months she'd had over a million subscribers. When she was fifteen she had started posting her original songs as well, and the next thing she knew, she'd gotten a dozen calls from music producers and agents.

The crazy pop music industry wasn't really her thing, she had explained to the agent her mother had chosen for her, she preferred just her voice and a guitar or piano, but she wouldn't mind selling her songs. The year before she had released fifteen of her own, self produced songs onto iTunes, and had gotten a sudden flow of income she hadn't expected.

As she had started school a year late, when she was six instead of five, she had turned eighteen halfway through her junior year of high school. At the time she had lived with her parents and sister in Seattle, where they had moved when Alex's musical career began taking off. At the beginning of April, Grace had convinced her to move to Hollywood, so they had dipped into Alex's music revenue and moved away from their parents.

Grace and Alex had been pretty much on their own for years before moving though. Their father was a lawyer, continuously working long hours, and their mother was a writer who liked to lock herself in her study for days at a time. Alex had only been fourteen when Grace had graduated from high school and she had forgone college to stay home and make sure Alex was fed and went to school every day, and Alex was immensely grateful to her, which was why she didn't mind spending her money on things that Grace wanted.

"I don't remember what it's called," Grace said shrugging. "Have you chosen a school yet?"

"Oh yeah, I'm just trying to decide between a few now," Alex said, lying though her teeth. She hadn't even done a single internet search for schools. It didn't really matter to her, public high school was just fine, though a performing arts school would probably let her have more time for her music.

"Great," Grace said, shifting a box to make a seat. "If you need any help picking, let me know."

"Nah it's fine," Alex said, shrugging as she finished off the lemonade. "I'm going to start on the living room."

"Don't try to move anything too heavy by yourself," Grace called, heading back into the kitchen with Alex's empty cup.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex murmured turning to the large room. The flat screen TV was leaning against one wall, and the couches had been pushed up against another wall, all the boxes of decorations piled in the middle.

Alex decided her first job would be to assemble the various book shelves and cabinets that Grace had ordered over the internet right after they had purchased the house.

* * *

The next day Alex had gone out for some groceries since they only had a few canned foods in the pantry, and she arrived home in time to hear shouting from next door. She glanced over as she climbed out of the car, not wanting to intrude. The girl she had met the day before was in front of the open door, what had Mrs. West called her? Jamie? A man that Alex assumed was Mr. West was shouting at her as she pulled on shoes. The girl was yelling back, but Alex couldn't hear what was said as she made one trip into her own house with as many bags as she could carry. When she went out again for the rest of the bags, the girl was walking past the end of her driveway.

"Hey!" Alex called, waving a hand over her head.

"What?" The girl snapped.

"What's your name?" Alex shouted back, grabbing the last of her bags and pushing her car door shut with her hip.

"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because then I know what to shout at you besides 'Hey' next time I see you," Alex called back, giving her a large fake smile. The other girl rolled her eyes, then walked towards the car so they didn't have to keep yelling.

"I'm Jade," Jade said, coming to a stop several feet from Alex.

"Alex," Alex replied, then nodded towards the open door. "Come in."

"Why?" Jade asked, raising one pierced eyebrow.

"Why not?" Alex countered, turning on her heel, her very curly hair bouncing at the motion.

"Fine," Jade said, following her into the house. Most of the furniture in the living room was now in position, and the TV had been mounted, but the boxes that held their collection of movies and books were still in front of the empty bookshelves. "Nice," Jade said sarcastically, following Alex into the kitchen. Grace had done a much better job in here than Alex had in the living room. All the boxes were unpacked and the dishes were put away in their cupboards. Alex set the bags down and began putting things into the fridge or pantry.

"Want a soda?" Alex asked, gesturing to the still cold pack she had gotten at the store.

"Sure," Jade said, plopping down into one of the dining chairs around their table.

"Get one then," Alex said, chuckling as she turned back to her groceries. She heard Jade moving behind her, then the ripping of the cardboard soda box.

"Where did you get that shirt?" Alex asked when the groceries were put away. Jade was wearing a dark purple and black patterned tank top that clung to her well, showing off her flat stomach.

"Spencers," Jade said shortly. Alex would have to look up where that was later. Or now. She was sick of unpacking.

"Want to go?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've had just about enough of unpacking and I need some clothes that don't give me heat stroke."

"What, now?" Jade asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah, unless you have something better to do," Alex said, shrugging.

"You want to go shopping with me?" Jade clarified. Alex chuckled.

"Yes, I like the style you have going on and I don't know where anything in Hollywood is," Alex explained. "I'll drive."

"Yeah, why not," Jade said, getting to her feet.

Alex ran upstairs to grab a larger purse, then made sure the doors were locked since Grace had gone off somewhere.

"Nice car," Jade commented as she climbed into the passengers side.

"Thanks," Alex said, grinning. She loved her car. It was a silver Porsche, but unlike the tiny sports car model, it had four doors and a quite spacious back seat. At first Alex hadn't really cared what kind of car she got, so long as she had something to drive, but Grace had spent so long researching cars and test driving them in Seattle that Alex had become excited and decided to spend more than was necessary. "So where's this store?"

"Venice Mall," Jade said, fiddling around with the radio for a moment until she found a station she wanted to listen to. "Get on the freeway going south."

"Kay," Alex said. She knew where that was at least.

The mall was just barely over twenty minutes away, but Alex thought it was well worth the drive, and Jade turned out to be a really good shopping companion. She didn't bullshit around or lie about what looked good and what didn't, and since Alex's own style was nearly the same as Jade's, just a little more grungy, she had good suggestions.

"Is that a real tattoo?" Alex asked as they left yet another store. She had spotted the star on Jade's arm hours ago, but hadn't wanted to ask about it. Now that they had spent a couple hours together, Alex felt a little more comfortable around the other girl.

"Sure is," Jade said, turning her arm for Alex to get a better look.

"Nice," Alex said. "I wanted to get one when I turned eighteen, but I got these instead," she said, pointing to her eyebrow and lip. "And then I went back in January and got this," she said, sticking her tongue out to show the light blue glass ball there.

"Well when you want to go, I know a guy," Jade said, shrugging. "A friend of mine's older brother has a friend."

"Yeah," Alex said, nodding. "I don't know what I want to get yet though. I'll let you know when I do though."

"Sure," Jade said as they got to the parking lot. Alex had purchased quite a few more things than Jade had, but her agent had called her that morning all excited because she had finally gotten a response about Alex's latest song that she was trying to sell so she wasn't worried about the spending.

"Thanks for going shopping with me," Alex said when they were back in her car. "I didn't want to spend another day unpacking."

"Hey, you're a lot less annoying to go with than my friends from school so anytime you want to go just let me know," Jade said, changing the station again.

"Oh that's right," Alex said, remembering. "My sister said you go to a performing arts school. What's it called?"

"Hollywood Arts," Jade said, sitting back in her seat. "But you have to pass an audition to get it."

"Oh no problem," Alex said, grinning. "When are auditions? I haven't decided on a school yet and my sister is going to start getting pushy about it soon."

"I think auditions are sometime in July," Jade said, shrugging. "It'll be on the school's website though."

"Okay," Alex said, nodding.

"So what do you do?" Jade asked after a few minutes.

"Do?" Alex asked, confused. She had been thinking about where her guitar could have been put. She hadn't seen it in her room the night before, or the living room.

"Yeah," Jade said. "Singing, acting, film?"

"Oh, I sing," Alex said. "And write songs."

"Are you any good?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I like to think so," Alex said, shrugging as she got onto the freeway."What do you want to do?"

"Films," Jade said immediately. "Horror movies. But I sing too."

"Nice," Alex said, smiling. "So Hollywood arts, is it mostly performance centered or usual high school based?"

"I've never gone to a normal high school," Jade said shrugging. "I think it's mostly arts based though."

"Hm," Alex said, making a mental note to look it up later. They were silent for a while, letting the radio keep them occupied, but then Jade started singing along to one of the songs, and Alex just had to join in.

They were still jamming out to the music when Alex pulled into her driveway.

"You do sing really well," Jade said when the car was turned off.

"So do you," Alex said, grinning. Jade had a slightly unique voice. It wasn't raspy, but it sort of reminded Alex of those old jazz singers. Her fingers were itching with an idea for a new song as she carried her things inside. Grace was home and clearly had been for some time. The living room boxes were all unpacked and things were in their places now. Alex felt a little bad for ditching, but she was sure Grace would be happy that she had been out socializing.

"I'd better be getting home," Jade said when they were standing in the entry way.

"Sure," Alex said, smiling at the other girl. "Come over any time you want. The door's usually unlocked when someone's home, you can just come in."

"Uh, okay," Jade said, raising an eyebrow.

"I hate the doorbell," Alex explained. "It's so much easier to tell people they can just come in whenever."

"Right," Jade said, shaking her head a little. "Bye then."

"See you," Alex said, then turned to bring her things upstairs.

"Hey," Grace said, nearly running into Alex at the top of the stairs. "I thought I heard you. Where have you been?"

"I went shopping with Jade," Alex said, lifting her bags. "Sorry for leaving all the unpacking for you."

"No problem," Grace said. "I left all your music stuff in that room." She pointed to the empty bedroom across the hall from Alex's. "I'm going for a run. Want to come?"

"No," Alex said. "I'm going to put these things away. I'll go with you in the morning though."

"Okay," Grace said. "Oh hey, I got a job today."

"Already?" Alex asked, surprised. Grace had worked as a receptionist at a doctors office in Seattle, but she had hated it.

"Yeah, at a hair salon downtown," Grace said, grinning.

"Don't you need experience for that?" Alex asked, dropping her bags inside her bedroom door.

"Yeah well," Grace said, shrugging a little. "I might have lied a bit on my resume."

"So what are you going to do when you mess up someone's hair?" Alex asked, chuckling.

"I won't mess up," Grace said. "I've been cutting my own hair for years, and yours and moms."

"Why don't you go to school?" Alex asked. "For hair cutting?"

"I've already registered for classes," Grace said, grinning. "Not for beauty school though. For English."

"Ah," Alex said, nodding. Grace had always been the nerd of the family, she was never without a new book. English would be a good thing for her to study.

"I'll put my schedule up on the fridge when I know it," Grace said, heading down the stairs. "I'm glad you are making friends!" She called from the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said, dropping her purse on top of her bags. When she was sure Grace was gone, she went into the bedroom across the hall and hunted down her guitar and songbook.

* * *

"What are you writing?" Grace asked, knocking on what Alex had turned into a music room. She had set up all her recording equipment, keyboard, and other various instruments, and had been working on perfecting her newest song for the last couple days. It had been nearly a week since her shopping trip with Jade, and she had only seen the other girl a couple times since then, at a distance.

"A song for Jade," Alex said, changing a penciled in note on her sheet paper.

"The girl next door?" Grace asked, her eyebrow raised. "Do you have something to tell me?"

"No," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "It's a song for her to sing. Her voice is kinda… not raspy or scratchy, but it sort of reminded me of those old jazz singers from the 30's for some reason."

"You wrote a jazz song?" Grace asked, coming in to sit on the piano bench. "It's not your usual style."

"It's not a jazz song," Alex said. "It's actually kinda dance-y. Listen."

She set her pencil and music to the side and picked up her guitar. She strummed a couple times before beginning the song. She played all the way through what she had, finding only one place that she wanted to change a few notes.

"That was really good," Grace said when she had finished. "Are you going to send it to Olivia?"

"No," Alex said. Olivia was her agent, and she was very picky about what kinds of music she sent out to record labels and popular artists managers. Alex trusted her opinion after the woman had explained that if she sent out too much music that wasn't liked by the people she sent it to, they would eventually stop looking at what she sent. It made sense to Alex so she didn't get offended when Olivia told her that a song wasn't good enough to be sent out. Sometimes Alex just sang those songs herself, if she liked them enough. Then she would put them on iTunes for other people to buy, or sometimes just up on youtube for her followers to listen to.

"Have you picked a school yet?" Grace asked, getting to her feet.

"I'm going to audition for Hollywood Arts," Alex said, plucking out another tune on her guitar. "Their early auditions are in two weeks, the normal ones are July 18th."

"And if you don't get in?" Grace asked, and Alex looked up at her with a wide smile.

"I'll get in," Alex said. In reality, she had picked a back up school just in case, but she didn't want to tell Grace that.

"That's the spirit," Grace said. "Do you want dinner?"

"No thanks," Alex said, putting her guitar on it's stand. "I'm going to record the music for this song, then go ask Jade if she will do the vocals."

"Then what will you do with it?" Grace asked.

"I'm not sure," Alex said. "Maybe I will send it to Olivia. It depends how I like it when it's done."

"Okay," Grace said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Alex said, chuckling. When the door was closed she began the process of recording each instrument for the song, then layering them together.

It was nearly eight when she finally finished the instruments, it sounded better than she had hoped when it was all together. All it needed now was the vocals. She grabbed her laptop and made her way outside, not bothering with shoes. The sun had set an hour ago and the ground was cool enough now that it wouldn't burn her feet and she was too excited about the song.

"Jade!" She yelled, spotting the girl in her driveway. Jade turned, surprised, and Alex immediately felt a little embarrassed. She hadn't seen that Jade was with some other people her age.

"Alex," she said in greeting, waiting for Alex to be within easy hearing distance. Alex took a moment to glance over the others. There was a short girl with bright red hair and a black boy with his hair in dozens of braids, both of whom were looking at her curiously.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alex said, giving the others a wave. "I wrote a song and I want you to do the vocals."

"Why?" Jade said, crossing her arms.

"Because after I heard you sing last week I realized that your voice sort of reminds me of those old jazz singers from the 30's and I couldn't get the idea out of my head," Alex said all in one breath.

"Ah yes, Jade West, the classiest jazz singer in all of New Orleans," the boy said in a very fake sounding southern accent, chuckling. Jade glared at him and he turned his laugh into a cough.

"It's not a jazz song," Alex said with a sigh. "I was just thinking of jazz songs when I wrote it."

"Well, lets hear it curly," the boy said, coming around the car.

"Real creative there," Alex said, rolling her eyes at the nickname.

"Well we haven't been introduced yet so I don't know what else to call you," he said smoothly, and Alex had to laugh.

"Are you flirting with me?" She asked, and he immediately took a step back. "I'm Alex. I live next door."

"That's Andre and that's Cat," Jade said, pointing to each individually. "And they were just leaving."

"I wanna hear the jazz song that's not jazz," Cat piped up, stepping around the car to follow Andre.

"Not in my driveway," Jade said, glancing up at her house.

"We can go to mine," Alex said impatiently. "Just come on."

"Alright," Jade said with a sigh. "Are they coming?"

"If they want," Alex said, turning. They looked at each other, then shrugged and followed Jade.

"I didn't know you had any friends besides us," Cat said to Jade as they walked across the yard.

"Of course I do," Jade snapped at her.

"I just moved here from Seattle," Alex said to them as the walked into the house. "We aren't finished unpacking yet so don't mind the boxes." She led them straight up into her music room.

"This is some quality equipment," Andre said, looking around. He sat down at the piano and played out a tune, then picked up her guitar to look at it closer.

"Sure, feel free to touch everything," Alex said sarcastically, setting her computer up on the desk.

"Oh yay," Cat said, smiling. "I love touching things."

"Is she for real?" Alex asked Jade, glancing over at the short girl who was softly petting a stack of folders.

"Yeah," Jade said, shrugging. "Just ignore her."

"Right," Alex said, opening her music program and hitting play, then turning the volume up. All three of them listened to the music, nodding along with it.

"You wrote that?" Andre asked when the song was finished.

"Yeah, I just said that," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Well Jade? Will you of the vocals?"

"Why?" She asked again. "What's the song for?"

"For fun," Alex said, shrugging. Jade frowned for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah, I'll do the vocals," she said after a moment, and Alex grinned.

"Great," She said. "Come over tomorrow."

"Fine," Jade said, uncrossing her arms. "Let's go, idiots."

"That's not very nice," Cat said, frowning at Jade, but she followed the taller girl from the room anyway.

When the others had left, Alex went into her own room to get ready for bed.

* * *

The next morning Alex was pulled out of sleep by the doorbell. She stomped down the stairs to pull open the door.

"What?" She snapped immediately, then noticed it was Jade at the door. "What part of 'I hate the doorbell so just come in' did you not get?"

"Calm your jets," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't know if you were awake yet."

"Yeah because ringing the doorbell six times in a row doesn't wake everyone in the house up anyway," Alex said, turning to let Jade into the house. "Why are you here so early?"

"It's after nine," Jade said, smirking. "It's not exactly early."

"Whatever," Alex said, pushing her hair out of her face. "Give me five minutes."

"Sure," Jade said, shrugging. Alex ran back up the stairs and changed into the first things she found, shorts and a black t-shirt. Her hair was unmanageable, so she tied it back into a very large bun.

"Come on up," she called down the stairs.

The two girls spent most of the morning recording the lyrics Alex had written. The final result was fantastic.

"I think it turned out really well," Alex said, playing with her lip ring as she spoke.

"Yeah, me too," Jade said. They were both just lounging now, the windows propped open and water bottles littering the desk.

"Alex!" Grace called up the stairs. "Olivia's on the phone!"

"Ug," Alex said, getting to her feet. "Why didn't she just call my cell phone?"

"She said she tried but it's off," Grace said from the bottom of the stairs. Jade followed her down, probably hoping the lower level of the house was cooler. Grace had already called someone about their AC not working, but it had been three days since then and the company kept saying someone would be out that day, then calling back later to cancel. It wasn't too hot out of the sun, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Whats up?" Alex asked as she took the phone from her sister. She listened for a moment, then looked up at Grace with wide eyes, her mouth falling open in surprise. "No way!"

"What?" Grace asked eagerly.

"Beyonce's producer just bought Plastic Lies," Alex told her, referring to one of the songs she had written the year before.

"Oh my god!" Grace yelled, jumping in excitement.

"For how much?" Alex said into the phone, her voice raising in excitement. "Twenty thousand!"

"No way!" Grace screamed. Alex grinned. "This is huge Alex!"

"Olivia said that the producer asked to hear some of the others too," Alex said, joining Grace in her excited hopping. "I'll send over everything I have," Alex said into the phone. "Send her everything, even the old ones."

She hung up the phone moments later, handing it back to Grace.

"Oh my god," Alex repeated, taking a deep breath in. "I have so much to do!"

"Do you need anything?" Grace asked as Alex turned to the stairs.

"AC!" Alex shouted back. "Jade!" She said, having forgotten the other girl was still there. "Do you mind if I send that song to my agent?"

"You have an agent?" Jade asked, one brow raised as she watched the excited sisters.

"Yeah, Olivia," Alex said, shrugging. "I send her the things I write and she sends them to singers. Only small groups have bought them so far but holy crap! Beyonce!"

"You want to send the song I just sang to Beyonce?" Jade asked, both brows raised now. "Hell yes do it."

"I'll make sure Olivia has your name too, don't worry," Alex said, running back up the stairs. "This is great!"

"So other bands have bought your music before?" Jade asked as Alex scanned through her computer files, attaching everything she wanted to an email for Olivia.

"Yeah," Alex said, distracted. "I have a playlist of all the songs I've written that were produced by others. Want to hear it?"

"Sure," Jade said, shrugging. Alex clicked it open and hit play, then returned to her email.

"You know, I've heard almost this exact playlist before," Jade commented almost half an hour later. "I can't remember where."

"I have it published on my SplashFace account," Alex said, shrugging. "Anyone can play it."

"You really wrote all of these?" Jade asked. Alex was waiting for her email to send. She had attached so much to it that it was taking forever to upload.

"Yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "I've been writing since I was thirteen. My best friend from grade school moved away in eighth grade and I was mad and didn't want to make more friends, so I got into music instead."

"These are really good," Jade said, nodding along to the music.

"Thanks," Alex said, smiling. She was sure that the other girl didn't give compliments very often. "Wait, you aren't just saying that because I have an agent are you?"

"No, why would you think that?" Jade asked, frowning at her.

"A lot of people at my old school," Alex said as explanation. "Once they found out that I have an in with the industry, they all of a sudden wanted to be my friend."

"Ah," Jade said, nodding in understanding. "Fake people."

"Exactly," Alex said, nodding. "That's why I dress abrasively and act stand-offish, in my sisters words. Then people don't bother me."

"And they do what you want because they are scared of you," Jade said, grinning. "You and I understand each other. I think we can be friends."

"Great," Alex said, nodding.

* * *

"How did your auditions go?" Grace asked as Alex walked in the door. It had been two weeks since the whole Beyonce excitement, and Olivia hadn't heard back from them yet.

"Great," Alex said. "I got in."

"Good," Jade called walking out of the kitchen with a soda. Jade had been over almost every day since they had recorded that song, and she had finally started just coming in whenever she wanted after Grace had shouted at her about the doorbell too.

"Good why?" Alex asked playfully. "Good because I'm clearly your best friend now and you couldn't live without me?"

"Ha," Jade said, snorting. "Good because you would have been miserable without me."

"So true," Alex said, laughing. They had begun teasing each other about not being able to live without the other a week ago when Grace had called Alex 'Jade' when she had straightened her hair. "You are just me after all."

"Obviously," Jade said, smiling. She had really loosened up around Alex in the few weeks that they had been friends.

"I have an idea for my locker too," Alex said. Jade had explained that each student had to personalize their locker and they had bounced ideas around for a few minutes.

"What is it?" Jade asked, following Alex up to her room.

"Sheet music," Alex said, grinning back at her. "I'm going to paper my locker in it so I can write down whatever is in my head, then at the end of each month I'll replace it and make a song out of what I have written down."

"Hm," Jade said.

"You don't like it?" Alex asked, dropping her bag at the end of her bed.

"I've heard better," Jade said, shrugging.

"Well I'm doing it anyway," Alex said, kicking off her shoes as Jade took what had become her usual seat in Alex's room, an old glider that was padded with dark green material and had a seat wide enough to comfortably sit with legs crossed. Alex had gotten rid of the rocking foot rest that had come with it, preferring just the chair.

"That's the point of the lockers," Jade said, chuckling. "Just do what you want and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong."

"I do that anyway," Alex said, flopping back onto her bed. "So what are we doing with the rest of today?"

"I don't know," Jade said, shrugging. "Want to go out for sushi? I know a good place."

"Is your weird flirty friend going to be there?" Alex asked, staring up at the ceiling. Andre had randomly shown up at the mall when they had gone last week, and again at the school today when Alex had been leaving her audition. He had been overly flirty both times.

"No," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "Andre is an idiot."

"Oh I see," Alex said, rolling over onto her stomach to stare at Jade, her blue eyes wide and serious. "You like him then."

"Ew, no," Jade said, grimacing. "How could you possibly get that from what I said?"

"You usually call people wazz-bags when they are dumb," Alex said, shrugging. "Idiot is almost a term of endearment from you."

"You're an idiot," Jade said, kicking the side of Alex's bed near her face.

"Thanks," Alex said, grinning. "Love you too."

"I don't like Andre," Jade repeated, rolling her eyes.

"So who do you like?" Alex asked, resting her cheek against her comforter.

"No one," Jade said, twisting one of her curls into a better shape. "I was dating this guy a while ago, but we broke up."

"Ooooo," Alex said resting her chin in her hands as she propped herself up on her elbows and blinked furiously, mocking girls in movies who did the same thing. "Why'd you break up?"

"We just grew apart," Jade said, shrugging. "We fought all the time. I'm over him."

"Well then we can find you a new guy," Alex said, grinning. "I love match making."

"Don't strain yourself," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "All the guys at school are afraid of me. I like it that way."

"That sounds like a challenge," Alex said, rubbing her hands together.

"It's not," Jade said, shaking her head.

"Challenge accepted," Alex said, getting to her feet. "Come on, lets get sushi."

"You aren't going to let this drop are you?" Jade asked with a sigh.

"Don't worry, I'll wait until school starts," Alex said, prancing down the stairs. "Maybe."

Jade groaned as she followed Alex out to her car.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Over the course of the next two months of summer, Alex and Jade hung out nearly every day. Alex understood that Jade didn't like being at her own house, and she didn't bring it up. Jade knew that Alex knew her parents fought all the time, but they didn't talk about that either. Alex had also learned that Jade could be really nice sometimes, when she wanted to be, and she also knew not to get offended at some of the things Jade said.

Jade had learned that Alex's parents barely ever talked to either girl, and that was a big contributing factor in why they had moved to Hollywood. She had also learned that while it took quite a bit to make Alex angry, once that line was crossed the other girl snapped completely.

Over that summer, Beyonce's producer had bought four more of Alex's songs, including the one Jade had sung on. She had also sold a handful more songs to smaller groups, and had produced a couple more of her own songs to put on iTunes, and a few more cover videos for Youtube. The money she had earned over that summer alone would pay for her own schools tuition, all the classes Grace could want to take, and a good portion of college, if Alex decided she ever wanted to go.

When the first day of school rolled around, Alex drove Jade to the building, since that was easier than Jade trying to borrow her mothers car to drive herself. Alex didn't mind, and Jade always appreciated her car, so it worked for them. They had gone in a bit earlier than they needed to so that Alex could decorate her locker door.

The plain grey painted door that Jade pointed out to her was across the entry way from Jade's own black painted locker with various scissors glued to it. Alex had laughed for a good minute when Jade had showed her a picture of it before finally saying that she loved it, and that it suited Jade.

"Ha ha," Jade said sarcastically, pointing to a locker two doors over from Alex's new one. "That's Andre's locker. Good luck with that."

"Ug," Alex groaned, staring at the piano covered locker as she carefully taped up a long scroll of blank sheet music she had put together the night before. "I might just carry all my things with me to each class."

"Maybe you should play match maker for him," Jade suggested in a dry voice. "Then he will leave you alone."

"Great idea," Alex said, smoothing her papers down and using a pair of Jade's scissors to cut it off at the right length. "So when should I schedule your date with him for."

"I will murder you in your sleep," Jade said calmly. "First I will cut off your arms and beat you with them. Then I will light you on fire and drink a glass of water while I watch you shrivel into ash."

"Already threatening the new kids, Jade?" A voice said from behind them. Alex hadn't noticed the halls slowly becoming more populated. She pulled the door open and shoved the pile of books she had set on the floor into it before turning to glare at the new person, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Beck," Jade said shortly as a greeting. Alex lifted an eyebrow at him, her face straight. So this was the boy Jade had broken up with last year? Alex had to admit, he was really attractive, and his hair was amazing. He also looked a little familiar.

"Wow," he said, looking back and forth between them. Alex noticed that Jade had also crossed her arms, and she almost chuckled, thinking back to when Grace had said they looked alike. Alex hadn't straightened her hair today though, it was standing away from her head in slightly tangled curls.

"Don't trust him, he's from Canada," Jade said, rolling her eyes. Alex had to laugh at that, dropping her crossed arms as she started putting the rest of her things into her locker.

"What's wrong with being Canadian?" Alex asked. "I'm from Canada."

"What?" Jade asked in surprise, dropping her glare at Beck to turn back to Alex. "No, you said you moved here from Seattle."

"Yeah, and we moved to Seattle from Vancouver," Alex said, turning back to Jade.

"Oh my god," Jade mumbled, staring at her. "Friendship over." She turned on her heel and began walking away as Alex laughed.

"You say that but I know you can't live without me," Alex yelled to her across the entry way.

"Gank!" Jade called back without turning around.

"So," Beck said, raising an eyebrow at the exchange. "Vancouver?"

"Yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "I grew up on 28th, near Queen Victoria Park."

"No way," Beck said, and he sounded so shocked that Alex turned back to face him.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I grew up on 28th too, until I was thirteen" Beck said, peering at her with a frown now. They stared at each other for a second, then Alex's eyes widened.

"Holy crap," she said. "Beck Oliver?"

"The one and only," he said, grinning. Alex gaped at him for a moment, then her eyes narrowed and she pushed him in the chest, forcing him to take a step back.

"You. Absolute. Ass," she said, punctuating each word with a push. She had attracted the gazes of everyone in the front hall now, including Jade and Andre, who had just come in the doors.

"Hey hey whoa," Andre said, stepping between the two of them. "What's going on here?"

"Wait," Jade said, stepping forward. "Let them fight, it will be amusing got watch Beck get thrashed."

"No," Andre said, holding his hands out as Alex glared at Beck, who just looked confused.

"Fine," Jade said, huffing. "Mind your own business," she snapped at the onlookers who all scurried to obey her.

"Now, what's gong on?" Andre asked again, dragging them over towards his locker so they were out of the way.

"I have no idea," Beck said, putting his hands up as Alex scoffed.

"You," she said, in a growl, poking him hard in the chest. "Moved away without telling me and then didn't call me again." He looked at her for a moment, confused, then he gasped.

"Alex Zeller?" He asked, grinning at her. Her eyes narrowed further. "No way."

"The one and only," she said, mocking him. "Oh my god, I hate you so much."

"This is great," Jade said, smirking as Beck frowned.

"My dad got a sudden job offer in L.A.," he said, explaining.

"And you were too busy to call your _best_ friend and tell her you were moving out of the country?" Alex asked, crossing her arms.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Andre asked, trying to catch up.

"Beckett," Alex said, spitting his name out. "And I went to the same elementary school. And middle school. And we lived on the same street. And we were BEST FRIENDS FOR TWELVE YEARS!" Alex was shouting by the end of this.

"Wow," Andre said, taking a step back. "Well, this seems like a happy reunion."

"My parents called your parents when we were leaving," Beck said, still holding his hands up in a placating manner. "And gave them our new number. _You_ never called _me_."

"I didn't get the number," Alex said, frowning now. She had asked her parents for months if they knew where the Oliver's had moved to, but they had blown her off, saying they were busy or didn't know.

"Well then it's not my fault," Beck said, glad she was calming down a little more now.

"Hm," Alex said, spinning back to her locker. She grabbed her books, then slammed it shut and started walking down the hall.

"That was fun," Jade said, falling into step beside her. "Though I don't like that you are from Canada."

"We have free health care and maple syrup," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "You have bankruptcy and corrupted politics. I think Canada wins."

"I agree," Beck said from behind them, and Alex turned to glare at him.

"No one asked you," she said, turning back to Jade.

"Ouch man," Andre said, smacking Beck's arm as he laughed.

* * *

"Alex, can I please talk to you?" Beck asked for the fifth time that day. They were sitting at lunch, Alex was only there because Jade wanted to sit there and she didn't know anyone else.

"Why?" Alex asked without looking at him. "You've done just fine without talking to me for the last five years."

"That wasn't my fault," Beck said again, sighing.

"You knew where I was, and my phone number," Alex said, still looking straight across the table. "You could have called."

"I thought you were mad," Beck said.

"Bingo," Alex said, taking another bite of her salad.

"About me moving," he clarified. "And I just assumed you would call when you weren't mad anymore."

"And you thought it would take me five years to not be mad anymore?" Alex asked, her voice rising as she finally turned to look at him.

"I'm confused," Cat whispered to Andre. "Why are they fighting?"

"Because Beck and Alex used to be friends back in, ug, Canada," Jade said in a stage whisper. She was getting way too much enjoyment out of this. "And Beck moved away without telling her and then he didn't call her."

"That's mean," Cat whispered back. "Why didn't he call her?"

"Because he was waiting for her to call but she didn't have his phone number," Andre said in a fed up voice. "And this fight is getting old."

"No one asked you to sit here," Alex snapped at him, turning back to her salad.

"This is our usual table," Andre said. "Why don't you sit somewhere else."

"I'm not the one who's whining about the table," Alex said, glaring at him.

"It's true," another girl said. Alex had been introduced to Robbie during a shared class, but with this girl Jade had simply said that she wasn't her friend and had walked away.

"Thank you," Alex said, nodding.

"This is ridiculous," Beck said, running a hand through his hair. "Just talk to me."

"Pass," Alex said, closing her half empty salad container as she made to stand. "Bye Jade, Cat, Andre, Robbie. Uh, Jade's not friend."

"It's Tori," Tori said, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," Alex said, leaving the table. She tossed her lunch into the trash and made her way back through the building.

She had been so upset when she had found out that the Oliver's had moved. She had nursed a little crush on her best friend for over a year by that point, and she had spent months crying when he never called or contacted her. Then she had gotten angry and thrown herself into her music. She sighed, glad that the entry hall was empty, and went to her locker. She opened it, took out her books for her next class, fitting them into her smaller messenger bag, then closed it and stared at the blank staff paper.

Moment's later she had out a pencil and was scribbling away, filling notes into the lines, imagining what it sounded like in her head as she wrote. By the time the bell rang to dismiss lunch, she had filled most of the paper on her locker. She would have to come up with a better way to decorate it if she used so much of it so quickly. Maybe she could rig up a roll on the top and the bottom so she could just make a roll of staff paper and scroll through it as she wanted to.

"Hey curly, you okay?" Andre asked from behind her. She didn't jump, just turned around and glared.

"What's it to you?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Erm, well," Andre said, backing up a step. "You're crying so I figured I'd-"

"I'm not crying," Alex said, lifting a hand to her eyes. "It's just allergies."

"Right, okay," Andre said.

"Where's the bathroom?" Alex asked, wiping under her eyes.

"Through that door and to the right," Andre said, gesturing to a door beside their lockers. Alex dodged around him and went through the door as fast as she could, then stopped and stared at herself in the mirror.

She had been crying a little, without realizing it, but it was barely noticeable besides her red eyes. She pulled out her eyeliner pencil and began to fix her makeup, breathing slowly as she did. She waited until her eyes had returned to their clear blue before she left the room. The halls were empty, so she wandered around checking classroom numbers to find the right one.

"Hello!" A man said as she pushed the classroom door open. He was dressed very eclectically, and wasn't wearing shoes. "Alex Zeller, welcome to improv."

"Uh, thanks," Alex said, looking around for an empty seat. The only empty one was in the second row, but it was next to Beck. She turned to glare at a curly haired boy on the other side of the room. "Move." She snapped, pointing at him. He jumped up and vacated the seat within seconds, and she went to sit in it. At her old school the teacher would have yelled at her about her behavior, she had gotten quite a few detentions in the past for similar things, but she really wasn't in the mood to be bothered by Beck again.

"Charming," the teacher said. Alex checked her schedule to see what he was called. Sikowitz. The name suited him, she thought. "Now, improv, do you know what that is Alex?"

"Yeah," she said. "Acting without a script."

"Good," he said, nodding. "Today we are going to talk about the importance of details in acting and what they mean. The more you understand the character, the more you will be able to tell. Tori, come on up here. Alex, you too."

Both girls stood to do as they were told.

"Now, tell me some details about either girl and what they might mean," Sikowitz said, resting a hand on each girls shoulder. Alex shrugged it off immediately and crossed her arms.

"Well, Tori's hair is messed up in the back," Robbie said, and Tori immediately raised a hand to smooth it down. "Which is usually because she slept in and was running late."

"Okay," Sikowitz said as Tori shrugged that Robbie wasn't wrong.

"And she's wearing flats, which means she was lazy this morning," Jade added, chuckling. "And that shirt is horrible."

"I wasn't lazy this morning I was just…" Tori began, but Sikowitz held up a hand.

"Tori keeps rolling her shoulder," Cat pointed out. "Maybe her purse is heavy today."

"Yeah, I didn't have time to go to my locker this morning," Tori said. "Because Trina took forever to get ready and we left late."

"Now, anything about Alex here?" Sikowitz asked, and the class was silent for a moment.

"Well, she's crossing her arms," Andre said at last. "Which probably means she doesn't want to be up there."

"Wow, aren't you a genius," Alex said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"She's being mean," Cat said. "Which means she's mad, right?"

"No it means I think I forgot to turn the stove off at home before I left this morning," Alex said.

"One time my brother left the stove on and a towel caught fire and he got burned on his hand," Cat said, then giggled as the class looked at her. "He's okay now."

"Anyway," Sikowitz said, turning back to the room. "As you can see, it's much harder to infer the meaning behind things when you don't know the person or character they are playing very well. Now, what are some things you notice that you don't have an explanation for? Tiny details, come on."

Alex shifted as the class stared between her and Tori.

"Tori's nail polish is chipped," a girl in the back row piped up, and suddenly everyone in the class was calling out little things about the two girls.

"Alright, enough," Sikowitz said, then gave both girls a little push to go back to their seats. "The point of this exercise is to make you realize that people notice a lot more than you think they do, so to be a good actor, you have to think about the little details."

He went on to talk about details for the remainder of class, and when the bell rang, Alex was the first one out the door. She had almost made it to her locker when someone caught her wrist and dragged her across the hall, then shoved her into what looked to be the janitors closet.

"Beck!" She yelled, turning to see him closing the door and blocking her way out. "What the hell?"

"Just listen to me for a minute," he said, holding his hands up in front of him.

"Fine," Alex said, dropping her bag to the floor and crossing her arms. "You have one minute. 59. 58."

"I'm sorry," beck said, interrupting her counting.

"What?" Alex asked, surprised.

"I'm sorry that I didn't come see you before I moved," he said. "And I'm sorry I didn't call you when you never called. And I'm sorry you are still mad about it." She was silent for a moment, staring at him, but he looked so contrite that she sighed and dropped her gaze to her hands. She could feel her eyes start to burn again and she blinked furiously, not wanting to cry in front of him.

"Why?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Why?" He repeated, confused. His voice was softer now that she wasn't yelling.

"Why didn't you come see me before you left?" She asked, glancing up at him.

"Because I didn't want to see you cry," he said after a moment's hesitation. "And I know you would have."

"Yeah," she said, feeling her eyes spill over. "I would have."

"Dammit," he said, stepping forward. She took a step back, holding out her hand, and he stopped. "I just… I didn't want to move. My dad didn't give us much of a choice, and he only gave us two days to pack everything up before-"

"You knew for TWO DAYS?" Alex asked, shouting again. Her tears were gone and the anger was back. "TWO DAYS AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"Alex-" Beck began, but she stooped to grab her bag and stepped around him to leave the closet.

"Let's go," Alex said to Jade as she passed the other girl's locker. She walked straight out to the parking lot, dodging around other student who were already leaving, then sat in her car as she waited for Jade to catch up.

* * *

"How was your first day of school?" Grace asked as Alex walked in the front door. Jade had only made two remarks in the car, one about her being okay for someone from Canada, and the other about what they could do to Beck as revenge if she wanted, most of which had involved scissors. Alex hadn't said anything until she parked her car in her driveway and had said bye.

Now, Alex dropped her bag at the door then walked toward the couch. Grace was doing some sort of follow along yoga class in the living room, her mat spread out in front of the TV, but Alex ignored her as she flopped over the back of the couch, falling until she was laying face down on it, then she groaned into the cushions.

"That bad, huh?" Grace asked sympathetically as she, and the people on TV, moved into the child pose. Alex snorted into the cushions, then turned her head to the side so she could talk.

"Do you remember that one friend I had in primary school who lived like three houses down from us?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Grace said, leaning forward as the video instructed her to until she was balanced on the crown of her head with her knees on the mat. "The uh, what was it? O'connors?"

"Oliver's," Alex corrected, sitting up with a sigh.

"Yeah, and you were friends with their kid forever and totally in love with him," Grace said chuckling. "You cried for like two months when they moved away."

"I wasn't in love with him," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "It was just a crush."

"Oh yeah, that's why in the summer between eighth grade and ninth before we moved to Seattle, you went and dated every single one of the boys on the high school hockey team that your friend liked to watch," Grace said, snorting as she moved her arms backwards behind her head.

"It's not my fault they all thought I was a sophomore," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "They were all idiots anyway."

"Of course they were," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "Though I'm surprised the girls they broke up with for you never came back to get revenge."

"Anyway," Alex said impatiently, wanting to get to the point. "Beck Oliver goes to Hollywood Arts."

"Oh man, did you kill him?" Grace asked, dropping from her pose to look up at Alex.

"No," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "But there's always tomorrow."

"I think that committing murder might make it a little harder finish high school," Grace said, rolling up her mat.

"I won't kill him," Alex said with a sigh, slouching back into the couch.

"Because you are in love with him," Grace said teasingly.

"No I'm not," Alex said, standing quickly. "I actually hate him a lot. I'm going to do my homework." She stomped up the stairs, not wanting to listen to any more of her sisters stupid comments. Instead of doing her homework as she had said she would, Alex ended up staying up till near three in the morning writing new music.

The next morning when her alarm went off, Alex was surprised to find she didn't really feel that tired despite her late bedtime. She took her time picking out an outfit for the day; a short black skirt, heeled ankle boots, and a light blue tank top that was the exact same shade of her eyes, overlaid with a sleeveless black lace cardigan.

She braided the right side of her hair, then tied it back into a messy bun, and spent quite a bit of time perfecting her makeup.

"Doesn't your school have a dress code?" Grace asked when Alex walked past the kitchen.

"No. 'Every student is free to express themselves however they would like'," she quoted, grabbing an apple from their recently filled bowl of fruit.

"That outfit looks a little slutty," Grace said, turning back to the book she had been reading. "Maybe you should add some leggings."

"Thanks for your opinion," Alex said, leaving the room. "Bye."

Out in the driveway, Jade was already leaning against her car.

"About time," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "I almost thought you were dropping out."

"I didn't realize we had a set time to leave," Alex said sarcastically. "We aren't late."

"Yes but the earlier we get there the easier it is to avoid people," Jade said, climbing into the car.

"Are you avoiding someone?" Alex asked, frowning as she started her car.

"No," Jade said. "I assumed you would want to avoid Beck."

"Why would I avoid him?" Alex asked rhetorically. "It's so easy to just ignore him."

"Right," Jade said, rolling her eyes. Alex chose not to continue the conversation as they drove. "What classes do you have today?" Jade asked as they pulled into the school parking lot.

"Songwriting, then piano, then Sikowitz before lunch with you guys, then after that I have history then physics," Alex said, recalling her schedule from memory.

"I'm in a few of those," Jade said. "And I think Andre is in all of them."

"Great," Alex said, rolling her eyes. Andre had stopped trying to hit on her the previous day, but that didn't mean he wouldn't continue today.

The day went relatively quickly up to lunch. Alex ignored everyone who tried to talk to her, including the teachers. As the bell for lunch rang she considered skipping the meal, but that felt too much like running away for her liking, so she went out to the courtyard, then nearly turned around when she saw that Beck was the only other person in Jade's group of friends who was sitting there. She slowly approached the table, setting down the bowl of noodles she had purchased from the food truck on her way out, and sat slowly, purposefully not looking at him. He didn't say anything for several seconds, making her look up in curiosity.

"I thought you hated me," Beck said when he caught her eyes. She frowned, opening her food to have something to do with her hands.

"I do," Alex said shortly, taking a bite of food.

"No, I meant five years ago," Beck said, leaning across the table. "I thought you hated me, that's why I didn't try calling you."

"You told me this yesterday," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"And I figured that when you didn't call, you didn't want to be friends anymore," Beck continued, seemingly taking advantage of her somewhat calm conversation. "I just assumed you made new friends and forgot about me."

"Beck, that's ridiculous," Alex said, setting her fork down. "You were my _only_ friend until middle school. I literally hated everyone else in our school."

"I wasn't your only friend," he said, shaking his head, but he frowned in thought. She was silent, letting him think back.

"Name one other person that I ever spent time with outside of school," Alex said softly when he didn't continue. He stayed silent for another minute.

"Well you made a bunch of friends after I left," Beck said at last, shrugging.

"How could you possibly know what I did after you left?" Alex asked, twirling her noodles around her fork. She had yet to eat any of the food. Her stomach was twisting uncomfortably. Maybe she was getting sick. Or maybe her lack of sleep was catching up with her.

"I…" Beck began, rubbing the back of his neck. Sometime during their conversation he had moved around the table to keep their conversation from being overheard. "I kept up with you."

"What?" Alex asked, surprised into looking up at him. "Kept up with me?"

"Yeah, on SplashFace and youtube," Beck said, shrugging.

"Really?" Alex asked, frowning down into her noodles. "Why?"

"Because you were my best friend too you know," Beck said, shrugging. "I thought you hated me but I never hated you." Alex sighed at that.

"Look, I'm sorry I've been so angry," Alex said, not looking at him. "I've just been _so_ mad for years and I didn't expect to ever see you again."

"It's okay," Beck said, scooting a little closer to her. There was still almost a foot of room between them, but she could feel all the hairs on her arms stand up.

"I'm still mad," she said. "But I probably won't stab you."

"That's a comfort," he said, chuckling.

"Are you two done fighting?" Tori asked, setting her tray down at the table.

"No," Alex said immediately. "But I'll be civil for now."

"Good," Tori said, then she turned and waved. Alex hadn't even noticed that Jade's usual group of friends had been standing together off to the side of the courtyard, probably watching them talk. Now they all came to the table to eat.

"That was disappointing," Jade said, taking a seat on the other side of Alex. "I was hoping for more yelling."

"I'm too tired today," Alex said, shrugging. "Maybe tomorrow."

* * *

The rest of the week passed by without incident, and Alex fell into a routine with her classes. She worked on homework as much as she could during school hours, leaving her a lot of time after school to work on her own music.

Friday morning, Alex drove to school alone since Jade's mom was driving her and Alex wanted to make some improvements to her locker. She was just finishing it when she spotted Tori being dragged across the hall by someone who could only be her sister judging by the resemblance. Alex leaned into her locker so her face was hidden, wanting to eavesdrop on the two of them.

"Wanko's Warehouse is having a huge sale! 80% off everything!" The older girl said. Alex couldn't recall her name.

"Everything?" She heard Tori ask excitedly. Alex turned, walking over to them as Tori's sister began listing things that were on sale.

Within moments, most of their usual friend group was standing around the two girls, trying to figure out what 'secret' Trina was keeping from them.

"Where did you get my number?" Alex asked as her phone beeped with Tori's group message.

"Jade," Tori said, shrugging. Alex frowned at Jade who rolled her eyes in response.

"Let's go," Andre said.

"Sure," the others agreed. "What time?"

"It starts at 7," Trina said. "I'll drive!"

"We aren't all going to fit into your car," Tori said, shaking her head.

"I can drive too," Alex offered. "My car fits four. Five if you squeeze and don't want a seat belt."

"With her driving you need a seat belt," Jade commented. Alex glared at her. "Kidding," she muttered.

"Lets leave here at 5:30," Tori said. "That'll give us plenty of time to get there before 7. We can meet at my house."

They all agreed, then the warning bell rang sending them to their separate classes.

That evening, Jade directed Alex to Tori's house, and they pulled into her driveway right at 5:30. The others were standing around in the driveway, waiting.

"Hey, my mom let me borrow her minivan so we can all ride together," Beck said as they joined the others. Alex shrugged. She didn't really care who drove, and the others were more than fine with Trina not being the one to drive.

"Come on, let's go let's go," Trina said, herding them all towards the van. "We need to get there before all the good things are gone."

They climbed into the car, Robbie, Trina, and Andre taking up the back seat with Jade, Cat, and Alex squeezed together on the shorter middle row. Tori took the passengers side seat. Within five minutes, Alex was wishing she had just taken her own car. Trina was humming something very off key, Cat was chattering to Robbie about something or other, and Jade was picking up anything she could find on the floor and carefully putting it into Tori's hair so the other girl wouldn't notice.

Alex, in the seat behind Beck's, bent over forward, letting her head and crossed arms rest on her knees with a groan. Now she remembered why she hated social outings with a lot of people. There was no way she was going to be able to survive the next hour of driving in an enclosed space with these people.

"Can we put some music on?" Andre called from the back seat, evidently annoyed by Trina's humming.

"Good idea," Beck said. "Tori, my phone is already hooked up to the bluetooth, can you pick something?"

"Sure," Tori said, reaching forward to take his phone off the center console. She took her time about it, scrolling through his music choices.

"Just pick something," Jade snapped after the third time Tori had picked a song only to find another she wanted to play.

"Fine, fine," Tori mumbled. "I'll put on a playlist then."

Alex recognized the song immediately, it was one she had written four years ago, the second one she had ever sold. She lifted her head a little, listening. She liked what the band had done with the song even though it wasn't as she had first imagined it to be. The next song was also one she had written.

"Can I see that for a second?" She asked Tori, holding out a hand for Beck's phone.

"Sure," Tori said, passing it back. Alex scrolled through the playlist, frowning.

"Beck?" She asked, leaning forward to his left so the others wouldn't hear her over the music.

"What?" He asked, turning his head slightly so she could hear him.

"Why do you have this playlist on your phone?" Alex asked, curious. It was almost the same as the one she had played for Jade at the beginning of summer, a collection of all the songs she had written and sold, though it was missing a few.

"No particular reason," he said, shrugging, but she could see the corner of his mouth twitch up into a smirk. She leaned back and flicked the top of his ear, making him flinch as she handed the phone back to Tori.

The remainder of the ride passed quickly, with them singing along to a couple of the songs, and even skipping a few. Well, she couldn't expect anyone to like every song she had ever written. It was enough of a surprise that they knew any of the songs well enough to sing to, since none of them were done by big artists.

Finally, they pulled into the warehouse parking lot and found a spot. All of them were relieved to climb out of the van, mostly to get away from Trina, who had grown more and more annoying as the trip progressed.

"Hey," Tori said, halting in front of Alex, who nearly ran into her. "Hey look. There's already a line."

"There shouldn't be a line yet it's only 6:45," Trina said, glancing at her watch. "The sale doesn't even start till 7."

"I really don't want to stand in a long line," Beck said.

"Me neither," Andre said, looking at the people lining the side of the building.

"I love lines," Cat said, smiling. "Their like long, single file parties." Alex shook her head but didn't comment. The only reason she was even here was because Jade had promised her that Wanko's had a really good selection of clothes and Andre had said they sold quality instruments, and she needed a new guitar. Her current one was nearly three years old and the wood was starting to get warped. Waiting twenty minutes in a line would be cake after that car ride.

"Hey wait," Tori said. "Look up at the front of the line," she said, gesturing. "Isn't that Sinjin and Berf?"

"Berf?" Alex asked, snorting a little. "What an unfortunate name."

"Berf is Sinjin's friend," Cat chimed in from beside her, smiling.

"Well I'm gonna go talk to them," Tori said. "And get them to let us cut in line."

"That's a good idea, bye," Cat called after her as Tori walked toward the line. Cat turned back and forth in place for a moment, then gasped and grinned, turning back to the van. Alex and the others turned to watch her as Cat climbed in the driver's side, then pressed the horn down multiple times. Tori came jogging back, confused.

"What?" She asked. "What?"

"I just wanted to see if you'd come back if I honked the horn," Cat said, laughing. Tori gave her a look, then glanced at Andre.

"Restrain her," Tori said, then turned to walk back to the line.

"Come here," Andre said, holding his arms out as though he was going to give Cat a hug. She giggled and walked over to him, her arms held against her chest, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, successfully restraining her. Alex shook her head at them, her patience already nearly gone from the hour spent in the car with them already.

"Attention!" A security guard called through a megaphone, and they all turned to listen. "If you want to enter Wanko's now and pay the regular prices, go in that door down there." Someone in the line said something, and he yelled "Shut up!" Through the megaphone at them before walking off. Alex watched as Tori approached the two boys that Alex sort of recognized from their school.

"She flips her hair a lot," Alex commented, watching Tori talk to them.

"That's her 'Please do what I say I'm so sweet and innocent' hair flip," Jade said, using a fake 'farm girl' type voice to mock Tori.

"And that works for her?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's her signature 'insincere' flirt move," Andre said, nodding. Cat, still restrained by his arms, giggled some more.

"Her sincere flirt moves must be terrible," Alex said, chuckling at the idea.

"Oh they are," Jade commented, smiling coldly. "Almost as bad as her sense of style."

"Don't be mean," Beck commented from behind them.

"I'm not," Jade said, throwing him a glare. "Just being honest. I mean look at her shirt."

"I thought today must have been 'dress like a third grader' day and I just didn't get the memo," Alex commented, smiling a little now. "I think I had that exact shirt when I was nine."

"She's probably had it since she was nine too," Jade said, and both girls chuckled.

"I can see why the two of you are friends," Robbie said, frowning at them. Both girls looked over at him, arms crossed as though daring him to finish that thought. He shrunk back behind Trina, who rolled her eyes.

"It's not nice to talk about someone behind their back," Cat said as Andre finally released her.

"Well then call her back over and I'll tell her," Alex said, nodding towards the car. Cat got an excited look on her face and started walking to the car again, but Andre caught her arm and held her back.

"Trina, hey" Tori said, walking back over to the group.

"Hey what?" Trina asked.

"The Wanko's sale doesn't start till 7 AM," Tori said, as though talking to a stupid child. "TOMORROW MORNING. You had us all drive 90 minutes here for nothing!"

"It's not my fault," Trina said, shaking her head a little.

"Yes it is!" Tori said, her face exasperated.

"So?" Trina asked, crossing her arms. The whole group started protesting while Alex glanced along the still growing line outside the building, her eyes lighting on the door for current shoppers.

"Look look," Beck said, stemming the flow of complaints. "Let's just go home tonight, then we can drive back tomorrow morning."

"Man the line's already long," Andre said, pointing. "You know what it's gonna be like by tomorrow morning?"

"And," Tori chimed in. "They'll be sold out of all the good stuff by the time we get in the store."

"Just relax," Beck said, once again playing the peace maker.

"No," Tori whined. "I'm all excited to get 80% off a unitard!"

"Dude," Cat said slowly, pointing at Tori. "Not cool." They all ignored her, not wanting to spend time trying to figure out what she was talking about now.

"Let's just all agree that Tori has ruined our night," Trina said, and the others nodded. Alex chuckled. She didn't really dislike Tori… not much anyway, but the other girl was always so happy and excited about something that it got annoying fast.

"What did I do?" Tori protested.

"Okay!" Alex called, making them all look towards her. "You people want to buy things at Wanko's for a good price?" She asked, then waited until they all nodded of said yes. "Follow me into Wanko's boys and girls."

Alex, who had never been in the Warehouse before, led them around the store a bit longer than necessary before she found what she was looking for. She stopped them in a section towards the back of the store that was full of large plastic storage bins and turned to face them all.

"Okay so, what's your big plan?" Trina asked, and Jade shushed her as an employee of the store walked past them.

"What's the plan?" Tori asked again in a much quieter tone when they were alone in their section.

"Okay," Alex said, leaning in. "We hide here-"

"Hey, you guys!" Robbie said, running to the group excitedly. "Look what I found in aisle 15!" He held up a plastic package to them, grinning widely as the others all grouped around him.

"What?" Alex asked, annoyed at being interrupted.

"Walkie-talkies!" He said, pointing to the package. "And they have a range of 600 yards, so if I have one, and you have one, we can be 600 yards from each other and still talkie," he paused to do some sort of weird backwards shuffle. "While we walkie."

Alex stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was mentally challenged or just weird.

"You have a cell phone," Tori said, her voice dragging the words out.

"Yeah, so?" Robbie asked, grinning down at the packaging in his hands.

"It lets you walkie, and talkie, to people all around the world," Tori said.

"And text," Andre chimed in.

"Which you can't do with a walkie-talkie," Beck finished. All of them were thoroughly unamused.

"Well now I feel bad," Robbie said, slumping as he walked over to set the walkie-talkies on a nearby shelf.

"Your plan?" Tori asked again, and Alex rolled her eyes.

"Just before Wanko's closes at nine," she began. "We hide here, in the store."

"Then after they close we have the whole place to ourselves," Jade said, recognizing what Alex was trying to say. "We can walk around, pick up what we wanna buy, have some fun."

"And then," Tori said, her face lighting up in understanding. "We're the first ones here tomorrow morning when the sale starts!"

"Exactly," Alex said, nodding.

"But isn't that like breaking in?" Andre asked, frowning.

"We're already in," Beck said, shrugging.

"That's some legit logic right there," Andre said.

"So," Jade said, turning to look at them all. "You guys up for an all-nighter at Wanko's?"

They all cheered and agreed, making a lot of noise until an employee walked past them. Alex shook her head as they all suddenly pretended to be interested in the bins around them.

"Come on," Tori said after a few minutes. "Let's go look around and meet back here at 8:45."

"Sounds good," Andre said, heading off in one direction. Robbie and Cat went another way, and Trina dragged Tori off to look at clothes.

"I'm gonna go to that sandwich place across the street," Alex said after exchanging a slightly awkward glance with Beck. She was still mad at him, but she felt weird knowing that he really had kept up with her over social media, the playlist on his phone had been proof of that.

Over the years she had gotten the idea in her head that he had moved and then just wanted to focus on his new life, that she wasn't important enough for him to care about now that he didn't live on the same street as her anymore. She knew it was immature and unfair for her to still be angry about it, but it had taken her nearly a full year to really get over the loss of her best friend. It probably hadn't helped that she spent all her time locked in her room. Then, during her summer 'Hockey Team' dating spree, she had gotten lucky and found her talent in songwriting. Thank god too, because there was no way she wanted to stay in a high school where all the other girls had branded her as a slut. She had only attended school there for four months before they moved to Seattle, and there it was like a brand new start, until halfway through her junior year when one girl, that Alex had thought to be a friend, though not a very close one, had found out about Alex's small amount of internet fame and spread it around the school. It didn't take long for them to dig up other things about her, and soon everyone was suddenly her friend, wanting to sing for her or write songs with her, anything to get noticed in the music business.

One of the main reasons Alex had agreed to move to Hollywood was that she assumed most people here were successful enough on their own that they wouldn't bother her much. She still hadn't told anyone besides Jade about her agent though and they had no reason to look her up online and find out on their own. Beck must have known a little, if he was following her on SplashFace and everything. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

At the sandwich shop, she checked her phone for the time, then sighed. She assumed that the others hadn't thought to bring food or drinks, since they hadn't planned on staying there overnight. Alex ordered eight sandwiches and eight bottles of water from the woman who gave her a weird look, then she fit everything into her purse, glad she had grabbed her larger one today.

Back at the warehouse, the others were still wandering around, so Alex made herself comfortable, sitting on one of the chairs in the furniture section until it was late enough to meet up with them.

"Okay," Jade said, glancing around the aisle corner. "Pick a bin."

"I'll keep look out," Alex volunteered, hiding her purse in one of the wicker hampers next to a larger one she had chosen to hide in. Then she went to the end of the aisle as the others all found hiding places and helped each other into them. Twice she had them stop as a worker walked by the aisle, but finally they were all in their bins, and Alex climbed into hers, shutting the top of it over her head.

They stayed there for nearly an hour before, finally, they heard the security guard leave and the lights turned off.

"It worked!" Alex heard Tori say, and she climbed out of her basket as the others also came out of hiding.

"We got the whole store to ourselves," Andre said, clapping his hands together once. Alex went to peek around the end of the aisles, just to be sure that all the workers had left. The emergency lights lit up enough of the store that she could see that no one moving. She looked the other way down the rest of the aisles, but everything was still so she turned back to see Tori and the others excitedly planning out their night.

"Security system; On," an automated voice came over the announcement system. They all froze, not knowing what was going to happen, and then suddenly a grid of lasers appeared between Alex and the others.

"Pretty!" Cat called, looking at the moving lasers as the others all stared. Their aisle wasn't a dead end, it had little alcoves on either side, but there was no way in or out of them from the rest of the store. Alex crossed her arms. She had not thought of this. Why would a warehouse store have such an highly advanced security system inside when they only had two video cameras outside?

"Man I don't get it," Andre said a moment later. "What are all these laser beams for?"

"They're part of the security system," Robbie said. "If you break one of those beams it set's off the store alarm."

"Alex," Beck called, noticing she was outside the lasers. "You can get to the front desk and turn the security system off."

"I don't know anything about security systems," Alex said, crossing her arms.

"Take a walkie-talkie and Robbie can talk you through it," Tori suggested, grabbing the package Robbie had left there earlier.

"Fine," Alex said, rolling her eyes. She waited as they set up the radio's, then she took one, carefully held between the beams by Tori, and set off toward the front of the store. Most of the other aisles were also closed off by laser beams, and Alex had to wonder how much this system had cost the store.

She jogged back to them five minutes later.

"There are more lasers in front of the main entrance and the front desks," Alex said when she came to a stop. "I can't get through them without setting one off."

"Great," Andre said. "What are we going to do now?"

"Our plan can still work," Tori said. "We just hang out in this aisle and… talk. Or admire these vacuum cleaners. And then, we will still be the first ones here in the morning for the big sale."

"So how much time until the store opens?" Beck asked.

"Well it's 10:15 now," Robbie said. "And the store open at 7, so 10.25 divided by 7 divided by-"

"About nine hours," Andre said angrily, interrupting his weird math he was doing.

"Okay then," Tori said, gesturing for them to all calm down. "Why don't we all just sit down, chill out, and have a nice, long, fun night." The others all agreed, finding places to sit or stand for a while. Alex wandered down the central aisles, not wanting to listen to the group chattering.

"I'm getting hungry," Alex heard Robbie say as she walked back to them fifteen minutes later.

"Me too," Tori said, and Beck nodded in agreement.

"Freedom!" Andre shouted, raising his fists.

"Hey," Alex called over him. "My purse is in that basket," she said, pointing.

"So?" Trina asked snottily.

"Soooo," Alex said, crossing her arms. "Earlier I went across the street and bought sandwiches, they are all in there."

Andre was the first to reach the basket, pulling out her purse and tipping it over on the floor, spilling everything out of it.

"Hey," Alex said, taking a half step closer. "Can you not throw all my things around?"

"Sorry," he said as the sandwiches and waters were passed around. Beck and Tori began putting all the other things back inside it.

"So you bought sandwiches for all of us?" Robbie asked when they had all settled down again. "Why?"

"Because none of us planned to stay the night here so I assumed no one else brought food or water," Alex said, settling on the floor cross legged.

"So you can be nice," Cat chimed up. "I was beginning to wonder."

"I'm nice sometimes," Alex protested, leaning back against a display shelf. "But since I hate all of you there's no reason to be nice to any of you. I bought the sandwiches so I didn't have to listen to complaining."

"You don't hate us," Tori chimed, grinning slyly. "Admit it."

"Right, I don't hate all of you," Alex said, smiling back in a mockingly sweet manner. "One of you is alright, and one of you isn't the worst person ever, but the other five of you are terrible, and one of the five is the worst person I know."

"But who is who?" Cat asked, frowning over her partially eaten sandwich.

"You can guess," Alex said, chuckling.

"I hope I'm the alright one," Cat said, giggling. Alex rolled her eyes and slid down until she was laying on the floor. When the others had stopped complaining about being hungry, they started talking about how bored they were. Alex sighed and debated going to any other part of the store just to get away, but she wanted to be on hand in case something happened, like Cat trying to lick a laser beam again. As she turned to look back at the group, her gaze caught on her keys, which had slid across the floor when Andre had upturned her purse.

"Hey," she said, sitting up. "Those are my keys. Can someone put them back in my purse?"

"Sure," Tori said, arching over to pick them up. "Why do you have so many keychains?"

"Why do you talk so much?" Alex asked, making Jade snort.

"Sorry, just asking," Tori said, slightly offended.

"You were one of the five terrible people," Alex told her as Tori handed her keys across Robbie to Beck, who was sitting next to Alex's purse. Tori huffed and crossed her arms, pouting.

"What are these?" Beck asked, holding up her key ring. Alex glared, trying to figure out what he was looking at, then she blushed.

"It's a turtle," she said shortly, as though that was obvious. The key chain he was holding up to look at was one she'd had for years. Seven of them to be exact. And it had been a gift from her at the time best friend. She knew he recognized it or he wouldn't have said anything, and right now she was wishing she had thrown the stupid thing into the trash, but he didn't say anything else, just raised an eyebrow at her and dropped the keys into her purse.

Within another fifteen minutes, Alex was fed up with them. She went back to wandering the store. As she was passing the hardware aisle, Alex got an idea. The lasers were only about seven feet tall, leaving a good five feet of space, at least, above them. She took the ladder at the end of the aisle and dragged it through the store to the front, then climbed up it, took a deep breath, and jumped off, landing hard on the other side. Her ankle throbbed as she landed, but the alarm didn't go off, and she grinned, pleased with herself, then turned to the computer system. It looked relatively self explanatory, the lasers were split into sections to be individually turned off, but she figured she had better call the others just in case. She pulled out her pearphone and dialed Jade since that was the only number she had saved in her phone.

"Hey," she said when Jade finally answered. "Put me on speaker phone."

"Okay one sec," Jade said, and Alex listened for a moment, taking the opportunity to put her own phone on speaker.

"Okay so I'm at the control panel for the security system," she said, then waited a moment for the excited questions to die down. "It looks pretty easy to figure out but I figured I'd call anyway, just in case."

"Right," Robbie said, moving closer to the phone. "What's on the screen?"

"Well," Alex said, turning back to it. "It say's 'click here to adjust settings'," she said, tapping the button with her free hand. "And now there are lighting controls."

"Okay, is there anywhere that says 'lasers' or 'grid' or-"

"Oh shit," Alex said, turning as she heard a noise. She muted them and put the phone behind her back as two guys came around the corner. "Uh, hey," she said, thinking they were security guards.

"Hey there," one of them said, moving to block her in behind the counter.

"Uh, what are you guys doing here?" She asked, trying to get them talking so she could have more time to think of what to do.

"We're fixing to rob this place," one of them said, rolling his eyes. "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, funny story," Alex said, edging further back along the counter. "I was also fixing to rob this store."

"Really now?" One of the men asked, glancing at the other.

"Yeah," Alex said, taking the walkie-talkie out of her back pocket and replacing it with her phone. "My friend was walking me through how to get into the safe on this."

"Well open it then?" One of them said, pointing a large flashlight towards the safe.

"I have to turn off the security system first," Alex said, turning back to the computer. "Otherwise the alarms will go off when it's opened." She saw them look at each other out of the corner of her eye, then turned her attention to the computer, quickly finding the control panel that said 'grid' on it. She tapped the off button, then turned to look as the laser's fell away from the entry way.

"Now open the safe," one guy said, and Alex slowly moved over to the safe, pretending she knew what she was doing. Her heart was beating in her chest. If the others didn't come to help her soon she wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this.

A moment later, the others came rushing around the corner, all of them ready to attack, though, surprisingly, Trina was the only one who actually did. Alex jumped over the counter to get away from them as Trina kicked and hit both of the men.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked as Alex reached the group. He automatically swept his arm out in front of her, making her step behind him and Andre where Cat, Tori, and Robbie were cowering. Jade was enjoying the fight, egging Trina on, and Andre looked ready to jump in at any second if needed but his expression clearly said he didn't want to.

"I'm fine," Alex said breathlessly, taking her phone out of her pocket to finally disconnect the call to Jade's phone.

Trina stood over the two men within seconds, both unconscious.

"So, what now?" Tori asked as they all looked at each other.

"We should just leave," Andre said.

"And let these guys wake up and rob the place?" Andre asked, waving a hand over them. "If they are even still alive."

"We could stay here," Alex said, feeling the adrenaline wearing off now that the immediate danger was gone. "No listen," she said, as the others looked at her as though she were crazy. "It's almost midnight, and with the security system off we can walk around the store like we planned. I'm sure we can find something to do with these idiots."

"There's duct tape back in aisle six," Jade commented, smirking. "And some nice bins in aisle 18."

"Perfect," Alex said, grinning at her.

The eight of them dragged the two men to the bin aisle, then securely duct taped them into separate bins.

"You know, I think this might be illegal," Cat said when they were all standing around the bins. The others exchanged uneasy laughs, then all went their own separate ways.

Alex went back to the furniture section, finding a nice couch to lay on somewhere in the middle of the sea of chairs. She dropped onto it with a sigh. Even though she found most of the others annoying, she had to admit that Cat had a lovely personality, and Robbie was weird, but a good kind of weird. Even Tori wasn't so bad, as long as Alex didn't have to spend time near her. And though she hadn't had a lot of friends who really wanted to hang out with her for a couple years, it was nice getting into these crazy adventures. She certainly never would have done anything like this by herself.

"Hey," Beck said, plopping down into an arm chair near Alex's head. "You forgot your purse," he said, holding it out to her. She took it silently, letting it drop to the floor by her couch. She looked up again when she heard a rattling sound.

"Those are my keys," Alex said, turning onto her stomach so she could rest her chin on the low couch arm and glare at him.

"They are," he said, agreeing as he continued to fiddle with them.

"Give them back," she said, but she was tired and the venom that was usually in her voice turned into resignation.

"You kept this," he said, lifting up the turtle key chain as he glanced at her. She shrugged. "Why?"

"It's cute," she said, pulling herself up a little more to drape her arms over the couch arm.

"No other reason?" He asked playfully, and she couldn't help but smile at his tone. It was the same one he had used throughout their childhood when he knew something embarrassing about her.

"You once saved a gum wrapper from Rebecca Hansen for six months," Alex said, making a grab for her keys. He pulled them out of reach.

"I forgot about Rebecca Hansen," Beck said, chuckling. "She was so hot. She had the biggest boobs of any girl in 7th grade."

"She stuffed her bra with socks," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, she has a kid now and dropped out of school."

"That's a shame," Beck said. "I bet she's still hot."

"Why don't you just stalk her on SplashFace?" Alex said, rolling her eyes. "You've proven that you have a talent for stalking."

"I don't stalk people," Beck protested, twisting the small turtle key chain between his long fingers.

"You have a playlist of songs I've written and sold to other people," Alex said, shaking her head a little. "And I know you've listened to it before because when I let Jade listen to my list, she said it sounded familiar."

"It's on SplashFace for anyone to listen to," he said, but he chuckled.

"Stalker," she said, letting her arms drop over the side of the couch again. They sat that way in silence for a while, both content with listening to the distant chatter of their friends.

"Why did you really keep this?" Beck asked after a while. Alex looked at him for a moment trying to decide what to say. She must have been quiet for too long, because he turned his head and caught her eye, his expression serious.

"I had a huge crush on you in like, seventh grade," Alex finally said, rolling her eyes. His eyes widened, but then he smirked, tossing the keys to her.

"Just seventh grade?" He asked, turning forwards again.

"Yes, you idiot," Alex said, glaring at him even though he couldn't see it. He chuckled, and Alex curled back onto her side, playing with her newly returned keys.

"Right, and now you hate me," he said with a sigh. "And I'm the worst person you know."

"Actually Trina was the worst person I know," Alex said, chuckling. "She's so obnoxious and it's just worse than other people because she doesn't realize how much everyone else hates her."

"So which one was I?" Beck asked, leaning back in the chair to stare up at the ceiling.

"You were the 'not the worst person I know," Alex admitted softly.

"So you don't hate me?" Beck asked, looking over at her with one raised eyebrow.

"No," Alex said with a sigh. "I never hated you. I was just angry for a really long time and I guess I never really forgave you."

"Do you forgive me now?" Beck asked, his voice hopeful.

"No," Alex said immediately, then chuckled. "Though I probably should thank you."

"Thank me?" Beck asked, confused.

"Yeah," Alex said. "When you left with no warning I had no other friends so I started songwriting. And I was so mad at you that the summer between eighth and ninth grade I dated the entire East Side hockey team."

"No," Beck said, sitting up. "I like that team!"

"I know," Alex said, grinning. "I made up so many lies about you to them all. If you ever go back, you will have a lot of fun sorting through them."

"That explains so much," Beck said, sitting forward and rubbing a hand over his face. "I went back last year to visit my uncle and we went to a game while I was there and Branson Murphy," he named one of the biggest guys on the hockey team that had also been in their year, "gave me his phone number. I was so confused."

Alex laughed at that. Branson Murphy, along with most of the guys on the team now, had joined after Alex had started all her rumors about Beck, but rumors got passed down, and a lot of people at East Side High would have remembered Beck from middle school and primary school since he didn't move away until the end of eighth grade.

"I'd apologize for that," Alex said, grinning. "But Branson Murphy is the hottest guy on the team right now. You should be honored."

"What about Moose?" Beck said, laughing. "You don't think he's hot? The girls in the stands at that game I went to thought so."

"Oh yeah," Alex said, chuckling. "I forgot you and Moose were friends."

"I asked him about you all the time after I moved," Beck admitted, and Alex snorted.

"I only talked to him like twice," Alex said, thinking back. "I don't know what he could have told you."

"Almost nothing," Beck said, chuckling. "I had a crush on you too, you know. In 8th grade."

"No you didn't," Alex said, raising her eyebrow. "You liked Allison Sharp. You told me so."

"I lied," Beck said, shrugging. "I didn't want you to know."

"Idiot," Alex said, but she chuckled, trying to remember any instance from middle school when Beck had liked her.

"That's why I didn't come and tell you we were moving," Beck said, his tone more serious.

"Your logic is backwards," Alex said.

"I know," Beck said, sighing. "Come on, let's go find things to buy on sale."

"Fine," Alex said, grabbing her purse as she stood.

The eight of them actually had a lot of fun picking out random things and showing them to each other. Andre and Robbie had found a multitude of scented candles, forcing the others to smell random ones. Tori, Jade, and Alex spent nearly two hours looking through the clothes, Cat trailing behind them pointing out random things.

By the time 6:30 in the morning rolled around, they hid their collections of things to buy in bins and got back into their own hiding places. Alex reset the security system, running back to the bin area to beat the minute delay on the lasers.

They hid there until they heard the security guards come back in to open the store and other people coming in the front, then climbed out, gathered their things, and made their way to the checkouts.

By the time they finally got back to Hollywood, they were all overtired, giggly, and in desperate need of sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Alex look at this," Jade said, shoving her phone between Alex's face and her locker. It was mid-November, and Alex was still wearing sleeveless shirts, something that would have been impossible to do back in Vancouver, or even Seattle, this time of year. The 'winter' weather here was probably the best perk of living in the desert.

"What is it?" Alex asked, stepping away from the screen to see it better.

"Just listen," Jade said, and hit play on the video.

"Oh," Alex said when she finally recognized the song.

"Oh?" Jade repeated. "That's the song you wrote. For me to sing. That's Beyonce singing it."

"Yeah I see that," Alex said, grabbing her books for their next class.

"Aren't you excited?" Jade asked. "Beyonce."

"It's not like we are going to meet her or something," Alex said, shrugging as she shut her locker. "This isn't the first time I've written a song you know."

"But it's the first time someone this big has produced it right?" Jade said, shaking her phone.

"Well, yeah," Alex said, smiling a little. "I am excited," she admitted, shoving Jade's phone out of sight. "But don't make a scene or anything. I don't want people to know."

"Why not?" Jade asked, though Alex had explained it to her multiple times.

"I don't want people trying to be my friend because of it," Alex said, sighing.

"Right," Jade said, walking beside Alex. "Fake friends."

"It's just hard to explain," Alex said, knowing Jade didn't think her reasoning was good enough.

"What's up, ladies," Andre said, catching up to them in the hall. Both of them glared at him for a moment out of habit, but he fell into step between them anyway.

"We were just watching Beyonce's new music video," Jade said, smiling wryly.

"Oh yeah, I saw that this morning," Andre said. "It hot."

"Doesn't it sort of sound familiar to you?" Jade asked slyly. Alex wished she could slap the other girl, but she was too far away so she settled for glaring.

"Yeah actually," Andre said, nodding. "It almost sounds like that song you played for us last summer."

"No it doesn't," Alex said, rubbing her forehead. "I don't write dance music."

"Yeah, yours was more acoustic," Andre said, then shrugged. He held the door for them as they reached Sikowitz's classroom, and Alex made sure to shove Jade into the door frame on her way in. Jade shoved her back and Alex glared at her. Jade just smirked and went to find a chair. Alex went to sit on the other side of Cat, not wanting to take her usual place next to Jade. No one else in the class was brave enough to sit beside her. They must have realized that when she was in a bad mood, as she clearly had been that day, it wasn't always safe to sit near her. She had a habit of cheering herself up by tipping over their chairs, or putting things in their hair, or sometimes even tying their shoelaces together, though that was usually reserved for people in front of her.

She was looking at her phone, ignoring the rest of the class who were chattering before the bell rang. Her SplashFace page had nothing new, which was a breath of relief to her. There were always those odd people who followed her work, the ones who either liked obscure, new artists, or ones who liked to get into things 'before they were cool'. Sure she had gotten a lot of traffic from youtube, her fans there liked to check up on her other social media, but she hadn't been posting many new things recently, maybe once a month, so now most of her 'fans' were passive towards her, which was how she liked it. Her SplashFace page was linked to her new profile for the school, so all her followers from both sites were added together, though she hadn't checked the number recently.

"Hey," Beck said, taking the open seat next to her. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what he wanted. "Congrats," he said, leaning in and lowering his voice.

"On?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she sat back in his chair. He glanced around them, noticing the people behind them listening in. He held up his phone and tapped it, showing her that he had been watching the Beyonce video. She rolled her eyes. "Did Jade tell you?"

"No," Beck said, smiling. "I have my ways. But look, did you see this?"

"I've watched it already," Alex said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

"No, this," Beck said, tabbing his screen to extend the video information. Alex immediately picked out her name in small writing mixed in among the copyright information. She took his phone, holding it closer. 'Music and lyrics originally written and performed by Alexandra Zeller and Jade West.'

"Oh my god," Alex whispered, glancing towards Jade, who was seated on the other side of Cat. "Jade."

"What?" Jade snapped, turning away from a conversation she had been listening to.

"Read this," Alex said, handing her the phone. Jade's eyes widened after a moment and she looked up.

"Wow," Jade said, sitting back in her seat. Most artists didn't care about giving credit to anyone but themselves after the song was purchased since they didn't legally have to. This was something that either Olivia had forced them to do, or more likely Beyonce's PR people had wanted to do. Alex took Beck's phone back from Jade and handed it over to him just as the bell rang.

"How did you find that out?" Alex asked quietly, ignoring Sikowitz as he climbed in the window.

"I have my ways," Beck repeated, grinning at her as he slouched back in his chair.

"Hello children," Sikowitz said, getting his balance after stumbling through the window. "I have good news!" He said, then sat on the edge of the stage and leaned in as though telling a secret, but he was silent, staring at them. Alex hooked her foot around the back leg of Robbie's chair, which just so happened to be in front of her own.

"What's the news?" Tori asked after a long pause.

"Ah so you've heard!" Sikowitz said, standing up quickly.

"Heard what?" Robbie asked.

"Well, now that you are all on the edge of your seats," Sikowitz said, and Alex smirked, yanking her foot back, causing Robbie to literally fall forward out of his seat. "Unnecessary Robbie but I appreciate your enthusiasm."

"What?" Robbie asked as the room chuckled. "But I didn't-"

"Sit down Robbie," Alex said dryly. "If you can find your chair." She considered moving it again as he made to sit, but she was still entertained from his earlier fall.

"Now, as I was saying, the list of spring plays that was put up last week was missing one," Sikowitz said.

"What play?" Tori asked immediately, scooting forward on her own chair. Alex wished she were close enough to kick it, as the other girl would probably fall from the slightest movement.

"How many of you have seen the new movie Princess Bride?" Sikowitz asked, and looked around the room as no one spoke up. Finally Alex sighed.

"That movie isn't new," Alex said, leaning forward. "It's from 1987. And it's stupid. Can't we do something better?"

"No," Sikowitz said enthusiastically, pointing at her. "And you have just volunteered for the lead role."

"Absolutely not," Alex said, crossing her arms. "I refuse to play a character called Buttercup. She is shallow and stupid."

"All of you will be required to be a part of this play," Sikowitz said, clapping his hands together and ignoring Alex. She seemed to be the only person in the room protesting the play, probably because she was the only one who had seen it before. When she had first seen it two years ago, she had loved the movie. She had liked the love story, the whole plot, and especially the comedy, but the more she watched it, the more she realized that she shouldn't like it. "It will be half of your grade." Alex groaned, folding over to hide her head on her legs.

"Who's going to play the other parts?" Tori asked, pouting a little as she leaned back.

"Good question," Sikowitz said. "Well, all the other parts in the play are male."

"No they aren't," Alex said, frowning as she looked up. "There's a queen, a countess, and a witch."

"Right you are," Sikowitz said, pointing at her again. "It seems we have a fan."

"I literally hate the movie," Alex said, leaning back again, scowling. She should have just stopped talking.

"Everyone take out your notebooks," Sikowitz said, ignoring her words. "Now flip to a new page and write your name at the top." He paused to let them do so. "Now, no looking at the room, write down a list of everyone in this class besides you. Head's down!"

Alex had no idea what the point of this exercise was, but she felt a little bad that she had no idea what the names of anyone outside her friend group were. She started her list with Beck since he was sitting next to her, then Cat and Jade, on her other side. Then she added Robbie and Andre in front of her, and Tori. She figured that Sinjin, Tori's weird friend that followed the other girl around quite often, was probably in the class too, so she wrote his name, but everyone else in the room evaded her.

"Okay now pass them forward," Sikowitz called a moment later, and Alex hurried to rip her page out and hand it over. "Now," he said, looking at the pages. "The next main role goes tooooo…" he flipped through them, making chalk tallies on the board. "Beck, you were listed first three times. Robbie, you were first twice, you get the third part. Jade, you were listed four times, you get the part of the Countess." He went on listing them, but Alex stopped paying attention, turning to glare at Beck.

"It's not my fault," he said immediately, seeing her look and raising his hands. Alex rolled her eyes and turned away from him, but inside she was panicking. There was quite a bit of kissing in the movie between the two main roles. She hoped desperately that it would be cut out for the school performance. She did _not_ want to kiss Beck, not even on stage. Sikowitz handed out their scripts, and as soon as Alex had hers in hand, she picked up her bag and left the room even though there was still over forty minutes of class left. She shoved everything into her locker, then turned around, not sure what to do. She wanted to run. Usually when she was stuck on a song or on lyrics or needed to think something through, she ran, but she wasn't sure what to do around here.

"Hey," she snapped at a passing man, which she briefly recognized as the guidance councilor. "Does this school have a gym? Or a track?"

"Both," he said, not even questioning why she wasn't in class.

"Where?" She continued when he didn't say anything else.

"On the other side of the theater," he said, nodding weirdly as he rubbed his hands together. Alex could smell the strong scent of lotion from across the hall.

"Okay great," she said, setting off down the hall.

The gym wasn't hard to find now that she was looking for it. It looked brand new, all the sports equipment was lined up along one wall, everything in order and perfectly organized, though Alex could see that there was half an inch of dust coating everything. At the back of the gym were two double doors, and Alex walked through them, propping one open so she could get back in later. The track was relatively close to the school, looping out away from it. It too looked as though it had never been used. Didn't this school have sports classes? She had seen that gym class was optional, and she had opted out to make room for her piano class, but this was ridiculous. She walked over to the bleachers, stripping off her black cardigan, multitude of bracelets, and she thanked the lord she had chosen to wear leggings under her skirt that day. She pulled the skirt off, dropping it on her pile of things, then tied her hair up as well as she could with it's wild curls.

She set off around the track at a slow, warm up pace, dressed in her tank top and leggings. After one lap she sped up, falling into a comfortable rhythm, and she let her mind fill with everything that had happened recently.

First, the Beyonce thing. It was exciting, beyond exciting. She hadn't expected anything more than the money for the song, certainly not specific credit for writing the song. She had expected, at most, maybe an impersonal card from Beyonce's assistant or something. She had received those before, especially when a group bought more than one of her songs at a time. She wondered if Olivia had anything to do with it, and made a mental note to text her agent about it later.

Alex wondered what would happen now that her name was on an official Beyonce video. Surely not that many people read the copyright information on those videos. It was unlikely that people at the school would notice if someone didn't specifically point the names out.

How had Beck noticed it? Alex was sure that he didn't make a habit of reading copyright information on videos. And she hadn't even told him that Beyonce had bought any of her ideas. Maybe Jade had told him, though she doubted it. Jade didn't really talk directly to Beck unless she had to, Alex had noticed. Was that because Jade still liked him? Alex hoped not, she liked Jade, the other girl was a good friend when she wanted to be, and Alex was sure that if she decided to forgive Beck, he would be a good friend too.

She began her fourth lap as her mind dragged up Beck, and pushed herself harder.

She had already forgiven him, she knew that. And really, she had been mad, but more so at herself than him. Yes she had been angry that he had moved away without telling her and stopped talking to her, but she had always subconsciously put the blame for that on herself. She hadn't been really mad at him since the first time she had seen him in this school and yelled at him. That had gotten it out of her system, mostly, especially after he had explained his reasoning to her.

She did consider Beck to be her friend. He could be her best friend again in a second if she let him, he knew her well enough, and she was just as comfortable around him now as she had been five years ago. She had really missed him, he had always been a fantastic friend to her. When they were younger he defended her when anyone said anything bad about her, and he always sat with her at lunch and recess even though he had other friends. They had spent all their after school time together doing school work or playing, and on weekends and summers they had been nearly inseparable.

So why did the idea of Beck and Jade dating make her angry? They were both her friends, and they were both so good looking, they just sort of went together. Alex ran faster, anger at the idea pumping through her veins. Jade was beautiful, Beck was the most attractive boy at school, and they had dated for two and a half years, so they clearly knew each other very well. Alex clenched her fists.

She wasn't bad looking, in her opinion. Not as scary beautiful as Jade, or as 'Front Page Magazine' beautiful as Tori, or even as cute beautiful as Cat was, but she wasn't terrible looking. Her hair was too curly for classic beauty, and her lips were too narrow, but her cheekbones were prominent and she had a long neck, her sister always told her. Her blue eyes were beautiful, and definitely her favorite feature about herself. She kept slim, mostly because it was easy for her to do. She had enjoyed running since she tried out for the track team in seventh grade, and she liked dance cardio and had always gone with Grace to the gym for her Zumba classes. She didn't eat junk food, in fact, she didn't eat much at all, she just wasn't hungry most of the time. And fast metabolism ran in the family.

She had put on a couple pounds since moving to Hollywood though. She had only gone running maybe once a week since coming here, and she hadn't done much of anything else.

Maybe she would be attractive enough to be with Beck if she slimmed back down to her usual weight.

She stopped at the thought, then started walking her eighth lap so her muscles didn't cramp up.

Why did she just think that? She didn't want to be with Beck. She'd had a crush on him years ago, and she was over it now. Right? She picked back up into a run, frowning. Beck had always been attractive, at least, she had first noticed it in seventh grade. But she still thought so, she couldn't deny that. Did she still have a crush on him? Maybe that was the real reason for the heavy sense of dread that hung over her at the thought of having to do that stupid play. She did not want to be a character in a love story when Beck was the other half of the love story, even if it was a stupid one like The Princess Bride.

She was afraid to kiss him, she realized. They had kissed once, on a dare in sixth grade, which was probably when Alex had started to develop the crush on him. They had been children, and she could barely remember the kiss, but she knew it hadn't meant anything then, and it had probably been a short peck on the lips. What would happen if she kissed him now? Would her feelings for him return?

And this was their last year of school. What if, after graduation, he moved somewhere else and cut her out of his life again? She didn't think she would be able to handle the hurt a second time. Maybe it was better to stay at this sort of friend/acquaintance thing they had going on, where they were friendly to each other when they had to be, sometimes, but they weren't good enough friends to hang out with each other outside of school unless they were part of a group. And he thought she was still mad at him. Maybe she should just leave it that way and distance herself from further hurt.

She slowed down for her twelfth lap, falling into a light jog. She was sweating a lot now, and she was sure she had missed at least lunch, if not her last class of the day as well. She didn't mind missing class since it was just history, and likely boring. She would get the notes from Tori later.

She made her way back to the bleachers and sat next to her things, leaning back against the next seat up to stare up at the sky while she caught her breath. She hated that she was sore after only three miles. She had let herself get lazy over the last few months.

The clouds drifted overhead, and Alex caught her breath, but continued to stare up at them, tucking her arms under her head and feeling the complete relaxation of being outside and endorphin release from exercising. Her eyes drifted closed as she enjoyed the slight breeze.

"Hey, school's over," Jade's voice rang out from beside her. Alex didn't open her eyes.

"So?" Alex asked, not moving at all.

"So are you taking me home or do I need to find another ride?" Jade asked, and Alex could almost hear the exasperation in her voice.

"Do whatever you want," Alex said, still relaxed.

"I'll drive you home," Beck offered, and Alex sat up, finally looking over at them. It wasn't just Jade, as she had thought, but most of the group. Robbie and Cat were missing.

"Don't bother," Alex said, standing and stretching. "I'm done here."

"What were you doing?" Andre asked, glancing down at the pile of clothes Alex scooped up.

"Running," Alex said, shrugging.

"Well yeah, we could see that from the history classroom," Andre said, shaking his head. "But why?"

"For fun," Alex said, shrugging as she began walking back to the gym.

"You are so weird," Andre said, shaking his head. Alex rolled her eyes, then remembered that she had been wearing makeup at some point that day. She rubbed her fingers under her eyes but they came away clean. Either she had sweat off the makeup, or it had held up surprisingly well.

Alex got her things from her locker, glad that the school was mostly empty already, then headed out to the parking lot.

"Am I giving you all a ride home?" Alex asked when she turned to see that Andre, Tori, and Beck had also followed them to her car. At her words they scattered to their own vehicles, either saying, or waving, goodbye.

* * *

"Want to come over?" Alex asked when they had parked in her driveway. Even from there she could hear that here was shouting in Jade's house, which meant her parents were fighting again.

"Sure," Jade said, shrugging. They hadn't talked about Jade's parents always yelling at each other, but it had become a common occurrence for Jade to come over late in the evening. There were a couple times that Alex woke up in the morning to find that Jade had slept on the couch in the living room. Alex figured if she ever wanted to talk about it, Jade would bring it up herself.

"We're home," Alex called, knowing Grace was somewhere in the house.

"I bought that tea you like," Grace called back from upstairs. "It's on the counter."

"Thanks," Alex yelled back, then detoured into the kitchen.

"Tea?" Jade asked, dropping her bag next to the chair at the table she usually occupied when she was over.

"I don't like most kinds but you have to try this," Alex said, opening the container of tea leaves to smell them.

It was a sort of black tea, as it said on the container, but it was much stronger tasting, and maybe a little more fruity, than usual black tea. Grace had to order it for her online because it was only sold in Canada. She put on water to boil, then got out a small container of honey and two cups.

"You put honey in it?" Jade asked from the table, sitting back in her chair.

"Just a little bit," Alex said, grinning. "In Canada we put a teaspoon of maple syrup in it."

"Gross," Jade said, rolling her eyes as she usually did when Alex mentioned Canada.

"It's actually really good, but the syrup here is too fake and processed so honey is the next best thing," Alex said, pouring the water. She mixed everything together, then brought the cups back to the table.

"Thanks, I think," Jade said, accepting the cup.

"You have to wait a little bit to drink it," Alex said, sitting back in her chair and savoring the heat of the cup in her hands. "Let the leaves sink to the bottom so you don't accidentally eat them."

"Gross," Jade said, setting her cup on the table.

"Don't be a baby," Alex said, chuckling. They were silent for a moment, Alex fidgeting with her cup and Jade looking at her phone. "Hey, could I ask you something?"

"What?" Jade asked, not looking up from her phone.

"Why did you and Beck break up?" Alex asked, taking a tentative sip from her tea. It was still a little too hot to enjoy. Jade looked up at her, eyes narrowed for a moment, then she tilted her head as though thinking, and Alex was a little surprised she was actually considering answering the question.

"Well, we fought all the time," Jade said after a while. "And I guess we just… grew apart."

"So you broke up with him?" Alex asked, surprised. From the way they both behaved she had assumed it was the other way around.

"Sort of," Jade said, leaning forward to wrap her hands around the cup. "It happened at Tori's house. I walked out and gave him till the count of ten to come out too or we were over."

"And he didn't?" Alex asked, frowning. That must have been rough for Jade. She would have been waiting, and she had probably waited for longer than the ten seconds, if Alex knew anything about her new friend.

"No," Jade said, then shrugged as though she didn't care either way.

"Do you still love him?" Alex asked, almost dreading the answer. After her epiphany that afternoon, she wasn't sure what she would do, if anything.

"No," Jade said after a moment of thought. "Well, I will always love him as a friend, but I don't feel the same about him anymore. We've broken up before, a couple times, and it always felt like it was just one long fight, but this time it's different."

"Hm," Alex hummed, sipping her tea. She wasn't sure what to do with that information, and it was a little weird that Jade was being so forthcoming. If Jade had said she still loved Beck, it would have been easy to decide to leave the whole situation alone and forget about Beck.

"What was it like, growing up with Beck?" Jade asked suddenly. "You must know all sorts of embarrassing things about him."

"I know quite a few things," Alex said, chuckling. "Like one time in fifth grade there was this girl who liked Beck and tried to kiss him at recess, but he shoved her away and she retaliated by pulling his pants down in front of our whole class." Alex chuckled, remembering. "Oh, and for my eighth birthday party we dressed him up as a princess, make up and everything."

"No way," Jade said, laughing.

"I might even have pictures of it," Alex said, standing and gesturing for Jade to follow her up to her room. They both left their bags but brought their tea, and Jade sat in her usual chair while Alex hunted through her bookshelves for an old photo album. "Here," she said, flipping through it. Jade got up to sit beside her on the floor.

"Oh my god," Jade said, picking up the book to take a closer look. The party had been 'princess' themed, but Alex had been more interested in the dragons and castles part of princess stories, and only two people from her class had shown up, likely because their parents had forced them to go. Alex had cried, and Beck had offered to be the princess to make her feel better. By the end of the party, the other two had left but Beck and Alex had laughed the entire afternoon and it had been a great time. Jade took the album onto her lap and flipped back to the beginning of it to look through it.

"Wow, you guys were friends as babies?" Jade asked, looking at the book.

"Yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "Our mom's went to school together and they were good friends. I'm actually a year older then Beck. Well, ten months. I started school a year late though. I've always suspected my mom did that on purpose so that Beck and I would be in the same grade."

"You were on a track team?" Jade asked a few minutes later, getting near the end of the book.

"Yeah, I tried out in seventh grade and was on it for all of middle school," Alex said, glancing at the picture.

"What's this?" Jade asked, pointing to the next picture over. The first track one had been taken at the last track meet of the year, and Alex was holding a trophy, she had gotten third place that year. The second picture on that page had been taken at a 'celebratory' dinner out that her parents had insisted on. Alex was sitting, arms crossed, and glaring at Beck, who was talking to two other girls.

"Oh," Alex said, laughing. "Beck used to do this thing where he would purposefully make me mad. I was never very good at showing emotions and stuff, and Beck was my only friend for most of middle school, so he would purposefully ignore me for hours at a time and talk to his other friends instead to make me jealous. Then when I would finally get mad and yell at him, he would just laugh and call me stupid for getting mad. I think he just did it to make sure I still wanted him around."

"Oh," Jade said, and Alex frowned. She had sounded almost sad about something. Maybe looking through these pictures was making the other girl miss Beck. "Why does this album stop after seventh grade?" Jade asked, flipping through the empty pages at the back.

"That's when my mom started writing and stopped having time to… do anything else," Alex said, shrugging as she closed the album and tossed it onto her bed.

"Your mom's an author?" Jade asked, going back to her chair as Alex flopped down onto her bed.

"Yeah, she writes those mystery crime novels that are always sold in gas stations and grocery stores," Alex said, shrugging. "I've never read any of them, but I'm sure Grace has them around somewhere."

"What does your dad do?" Jade asked, crossing her legs on the chair.

"He's a lawyer," Alex said, shrugging.

"My mom is a doctor," Jade said after a small pause in conversation. This was probably the deepest conversation the two girls had ever had with each other. "And my dad works for some guy that owns half of L.A."

"Have you always lived here then?" Alex asked, leaning back against the wall on her bed.

"Yeah," Jade said, leaning her head back against the chair. "Well, sort of. My parents got divorced six years ago and my dad got remarried and lived in south L.A. for a while, and my brother and I lived with him for about a year, but then we moved back to our moms."

"Wait, your parents are divorced?" Alex asked, confused. "But they still live together?"

"Yeah well, my dad's new wife left him and kept the house, so he came back here," Jade said, shrugging. "My mom is an idiot."

"So where's your brother?" Alex asked, trying to lighten the subject a little.

"He moved to San Fransisco two years ago when he finished school," Jade said. "My parents disowned him because he didn't want to go to college."

"So what does he do?" Alex asked, curious.

"He works on cars," Jade said, chuckling. "Not as estimable a career choice as what my parents had picked out for him but he and his buddies own a shop and they are doing really well."

"That's good," Alex said. "My sister wants to be a publisher. For books. I don't think my parents cared at all what we wanted to go to school for as long as it made money. Music wasn't high on their list of worthwhile careers."

"Will you go to college?" Jade asked, slouching down further in her chair.

"No," Alex said. "I don't need to."

"You just want to write songs for the rest of your life?" Jade asked, her voice not holding it's usual mocking tone.

"Yeah," Alex said, smiling a little. "I sing too. I have an album on iTunes. And if I ever lose interest in songwriting and music, I'm sure I could find a job waitressing somewhere. Or maybe singing at weddings."

"That's ambitious," Jade snorted, then she sighed. "I don't really know what I want to do. I mean, I've always wanted to act, maybe be a director, but the chances of that happening are really slim, everybody says so. I don't have a backup idea."

"Since when have you cared about what 'everybody' says," Alex asked, chuckling. "Besides, your backup career can be singing at weddings with me."

"Weddings disgust me," Jade said, but she laughed, and Alex was glad for the lighter conversation.

"Yes, but they pay really well," Alex said. "I did my friends moms wedding in Seattle last year. Basically I just sang a couple sappy love songs and they gave me four thousand dollars."

"Sounds like a good deal," Jade said. They trailed off again, both girls relaxed after their conversation. The room smelled like Alex's tea, which she had left on top of the bookshelf. It was just as good cold as it was hot, so she didn't bother getting up to retrieve it yet.

"How did you and Beck start dating?" Alex asked after a while.

"Why all the questions about Beck?" Jade asked, her voice suspicious.

"Well he was my best friend for most of my life," Alex said, shrugging and trying to keep her voice casual. "I missed out on a lot the last few years so I'm trying to catch up."

"Hm," Jade said, and Alex was sure she wasn't going to answer, but then she started talking again. "We met when I was a freshman. At auditions actually. He ran into me when I was leaving the theater after my audition, knocked me over. Then he tried to help me up and I told him that if he was still there when I got my balance, I would disconnect his head from his body. Then he ran away."

"Ran away?" Alex asked, chuckling.

"Well, he went into his audition," Jade said, shrugging. "Then I didn't see him again til school started. He walked right over to me at lunch and sat down and started talking as though we were best friends. I've known Cat since grade school, and she seemed to like him around, so I let him stay. Then he asked me out at least twice a week for all of first semester and I told him yes so he would just stop asking, but when we went out it was actually a lot of fun. And he was never scared of me like everyone else is, though I suppose that's because he had practice with you." Jade laughed, and Alex smiled. It was probably true. She had always been abrasive. If their mothers hadn't practically forced them to be friends, Alex was sure that Beck wouldn't have bothered talking to her in the first place.

"Why'd you say no to him at first?" Alex asked, curious. From the reactions to Beck she had noticed from the other girls in their school, he could have practically dated anyone he wanted to.

"I thought he was just asking me out to say that he had gone out with me," Jade said, shrugging. "It had happened before, in middle school, because I almost never went out with anyone."

"Beck isn't the type to brag," Alex said, chuckling.

"Well I know that now," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "But at the time that's what I thought."

"So what are you going to do for the Full Moon Jam?" Alex asked, changing the subject. The concert was the next weekend, and anyone who wanted to could sing at it. Usually Alex would just go to those kinds of things to hear the music, but her songwriting teacher had said they would get extra credit for participating.

"Nothing," Jade said, rolling her eyes. She wasn't in Alex's songwriting class. "I was planning on skipping it."

"Well I have an idea for a song," Alex said, sitting up. "Would you sing backup for me?"

"What kind of song?" Jade asked, glancing over at her.

"A fun one," Alex said, chuckling. "Don't worry, it's not a sappy love song or anything. It'll be fun. I'll play it for you when I have a better idea of it."

"You haven't written it yet?" Jade asked, shaking her head. "You only have a week and a half."

"I know," Alex said, shrugging. "I have most of it figured out up here." She tapped the side of her head. "I'll have it done by tomorrow."

"Whatever," Jade said, shrugging again. Alex took that to be agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

Songs mentioned in this chapter: No by Meghan Trainor

* * *

Chapter Four

"I love this song," Jade said, lowering her headphones when the music had ended.

"So you'll sing backup for me?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure," Jade said, nodding.

"Good," Alex said, breathing out a sigh of relief. The idea she'd had for a song for the Full Moon Jam had become a little too personal and depressing for her to want to share, so she had spent the last four days trying to come up with something more partyish to sing. "Have you read your script for Sikowitz yet?"

"Rehearsals start next week, of course I have," Jade said, rolling her eyes. They were holed up in Alex's music room with lemonade and some cookies Grace had made. After Alex's revelation while running a week ago, she had been distancing herself from the others. She had also returned to her previous workout schedule, and added a bit.

"What do you think of the play?" Alex asked, sitting back in her chair.

"I only have like three lines," Jade said, crossing her arms.

"I'll trade you," Alex said, knowing that she wasn't allowed to do that. She had already tried. "I really don't want to be the lead."

"Why not?" Jade asked, sipping her lemonade. "Yeah the lead is an idiot, but it's actually kind of a funny story."

"I really don't want to kiss Beck," Alex said, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"But he's a good kisser," Jade said, chuckling wryly. "And it's just a stage kiss. Are you still that mad at him?"

"No," Alex said with a sigh. "I wasn't really mad at him to begin with. Well, maybe a little."

"So you've forgiven him for moving away?" Jade asked, surprised. "You should tell him that. He's upset about it still."

"He said that?" Alex asked, twisting a ring around on her finger so she didn't have to make eye contact with Jade.

"Not in so many words," Jade said, shrugging. "But It's not hard to tell."

"How do you know then?" Alex asked, trying to keep her eagerness out of her voice.

"He's been quieter than usual," Jade said, shrugging. "And every time you skip lunch to avoid the rest of us he asks if anyone knows where you are."

"I'm not avoiding all of you," Alex said, frowning as she tipped her chair back onto two legs, trying to balance.

"Just Beck?" Jade asked, her voice oddly understanding, and maybe a little jealous.

"Well…" Alex began, not really sure what to say. "Sort of."

"Because you like him," Jade said, nodding sagely. Alex let her chair fall forward with a thump as she stared at Jade, surprised. "Oh come on, it's obvious," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "You avoid him at all costs during the day but you watch him during class when he isn't looking. And whenever you ask about him you get this look on your face. And you perk up whenever someone mentions his name."

"I'm not admitting anything," Alex said, watching Jade pick at the ends of her hair. "But what the hell?"

"Well you make it so obvious," Jade said, her voice growing a little colder, and Alex sighed.

"I'm sorry Jade," Alex said, and apparently that surprised Jade, because she looked up, green eyes questioning.

"Sorry?" Jade prompted when she didn't continue.

"Yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "You guys used to date, and I consider you to be my best friend here, and I know you still care about Beck-"

"Okay wait wait," Jade said, holding a hand up to stop her rambling. "Yeah, I do care about him, and yeah we dated for a long time, but seriously? You two are literally a classic love story."

"What?" Alex asked, tilting her head.

"You know, you grew up together, you were best friends, then something tore you apart, and years later you are put back together," Jade said. "If this were a movie you two would be married with kids in like three years."

"This isn't a movie," Alex said slowly, not sure how to respond to that. She hadn't thought of things that way before. "And I'm not in love with Beck."

"Okay, serious moment here," Jade said, leaning forward. Alex mimicked her movements. Jade was almost never serious and honest, though it had been happening more and more when they weren't around the rest of her friends. "I care about Beck, and I want him to be happy, and since that isn't going to happen with me, I don't really have a say over who he chooses to be with. I don't want to be the person that stops him from finding happiness."

"Wow," Alex said slowly, trying to wrap her mind around that. "That's really… mature of you."

"About five months ago I saw Beck and Tori almost kiss, and Tori told him that she didn't want to be with him because of me," Jade said, and Alex noticed her fists clenched together. No matter what Jade said, she was still upset about the idea of Beck being with someone else, or maybe it was just Tori. Alex had noticed multiple times that Jade was much ruder to Tori than anyone else in the group. "At first I had no idea what to think about that, but I've had a lot of time to decide."

"I don't think I would be so calm about that if I were in your place," Alex said when Jade trailed off.

"It still makes me mad," Jade admitted. "To see Beck with other girls. And I can't promise to be totally cool with it if you decide you do like him, but really, you have so much more claim over him than I do."

"I have claim over him?" Alex asked, lost again.

"Yeah," Jade said, shrugging. "If he hadn't moved away the two of you would probably be happily together right now. You've been in his life since he was born, he's only known me for four years."

"I never thought of it like that," Alex admitted, finishing off her lemonade.

"Well if I _had_ to pick someone else for him to be with, you would be pretty close to the top of that list," Jade said. "Above you would be all the very ugly weird girls at our school." They both laughed at that.

"I don't really know what I think," Alex said after a while. "I mean, I had a huge crush on him in middle school, but then he left and I got over those feelings. I think maybe I might just be remembering how I felt in middle school, not actually developing new feelings."

"Have you dated anyone since Beck left?" Jade asked.

"Of course I have," Alex said, chuckling. "Every boy on the high school hockey team in Vancouver, and quite a few boys in Seattle."

"Have you ever seriously dated anyone though? Like more than just a few dates?" Jade pressed.

"A few," Alex said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Were you in love with any of them?" Jade asked, and Alex hesitated.

"I… don't think so," Alex said after a while. "No. I wasn't."

"You never got over your crush on Beck," Jade said, leaning back in her chair. "If you had, you would have fallen for someone else that you actually had a chance with at the time."

"Maybe I just haven't found the right person," Alex said, frowning in thought. "That doesn't really mean anything."

"Well," Jade said, finally standing. "You'll see when you kiss him."

"It's just a stage kiss," Alex said, getting up too. She had made a thumb drive of the song for Friday so Jade could listen to it and learn the back up vocals, which she handed over, then pulled the door open.

"Just," Jade began, then hesitated. Alex turned back to her. Usually their serious conversations took place behind closed doors, and it was sort of an unspoken rule between them that what was said there stayed there. "Let's still be friends, whatever you decide."

"Yeah," Alex said, feeling the awkwardness of such a statement coming from Jade. Both girls were not very good at expressing their emotions, and it was difficult for Alex to find the right words sometimes. "Definitely."

"Let's go get some sushi," Jade said, clearing her throat.

"I don't understand how you can eat that stuff," Grace said, passing them in the hallway just in time to hear their plans. "It's all mushy and gross."

"Not if you get the good things," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "We'll be back later."

"Kay," Grace called. "Jade, are you staying here tonight?"

"No," Jade said, frowning. Jade had never outright made plans to stay over, but it happened at least twice a week. Alex had never explained to Grace that Jade's parents fought all the time, but she was sure her sister had heard it before, and she didn't seem to care when Jade did stay over. Though if she had said anything about it, Alex could have reminded her that it was her own songwriting royalties that had paid for the house, even if it was under both their names.

"Well next time you do, use the guest room," Grace said, stretching an arm over her shoulders as she walked down the stairs. "I like to do yoga in the morning before I go to class and it's hard to do when I can't move the couch. I need to get in shape so the cute boy Eric in my Writing 200 class will ask me out."

"You have a guest room?" Jade asked, raising her eyebrow at Alex.

"Yeah, three of them actually," Alex said, chuckling. "Our house is probably the same size as yours you know. There's a guest room up here across from Grace's room," Alex said, pointing. "And two downstairs. You can use whichever one you want and leave whatever you want in them since we never have guests."

"That's practically moving in," Jade said, rolling her eyes as they walked down the stairs.

"You're here all the time anyway," Grace said from the living room. "You may as well."

"I wouldn't care," Alex said, chuckling. "It'll save me the time of having to text you in the morning when it's time to leave."

"You two are insane," Jade said, shaking her head.

"The best kind of insane," Grace called back.

"Come on, let's go," Alex said, shaking her head. If she were Jade she would take any opportunity to leave a house that had constant yelling. And Alex had met Jade's mom a couple times before. She was a very judgmental, bitchy woman. And though she had never met Jade's dad, she had seen him a couple times. He looked cold and uncaring. Alex was almost glad that her parents had only ignored each other and the kids rather than yelling at each other.

"You know, the guest room downstairs has an attached bathroom," Alex said, grinning as she started the car.

* * *

"Hey," Alex said to the table as she sat down with her lunch. For the last week and a half she had spent their lunch hour jogging around the track. She still hadn't seen anyone else use it, or the gym.

"You still go to school here?" Andre asked jokingly. He was in at least half her classes, and had been in the one before lunch, and she had been hoping that she could just rejoin the table without any remarks, but that seemed unlikely.

"Yes," she said shortly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Though I'd be more likely to enjoy it if you didn't go here."

"Ouch," Andre said, putting a hand over his heart in mock pain while the others chuckled.

"Why didn't you want to eat with us last week?" Cat asked, looking sad, as though it was her fault.

"I've been running during lunch," Alex said, shrugging. "I haven't been exercising much since I moved here. I've put on almost ten pounds. I feel gross." She took a bite of her salad, then glanced up to see them all staring at her. "What?"

"Girl, you can't be over a hundred pounds," Andre said, shaking his head. "You look like a stick."

"Thanks for the opinion," Alex said, rolling her eyes and taking another bite of her salad even though she was a little flattered. When she had weighed herself three days ago it had said 120 pounds, which was still eight pounds more than her usual weight. All she could see when she looked in the mirror was how much her stomach poked out now, and how much her arms jiggled when she moved them.

"So why did you decide to come sit with us again?" Robbie asked, taking a bite of his pasta. Alex glanced at Jade who caught her eyes raised an eyebrow at her. Alex rolled her eyes.

"I thought it might rain," Alex said. They all looked up at the very obviously blue sky, and she smirked.

"What are you doing for the Friday jam?" Andre asked, cutting across Cat as the other girl opened her mouth, likely to say something about the cloudless sky, not having understood that Alex was being sarcastic.

"Oh are you singing?" Beck asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "I wrote a song."

"Oh, do you need any back up singers?" Tori asked, leaning forward in her seat. "I haven't gone to a Friday Night Jam since my first semester here."

"No one asked," Jade said dryly, swirling a fry in ketchup.

"Jade is singing backup for me," Alex said, resisting a smile. She frowned as everyone turned to stare at Jade just as they had at her minutes ago.

"What?" Jade asked, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Well," Robbie began, then quelled under Jade's glare.

"You don't usually do things for other people unless they benefit you too," Andre finally said, rushing to get all the words out.

"I happen to like the song," Jade said, scowling, then she smiled in her mischievous way. "Besides, how do you know I'm not getting anything for it?" The way she said the words made them dirty, and everyone glanced between Jade and Alex a couple times, then Alex laughed and it was broken.

"Sorry Jade, you aren't my type," Alex said, chuckling as Robbie continued to stare at them with wide eyes.

"Yeah, your type is dark eyes and long dark hair and-" Jade began, her voice secretive. Alex very obviously shoved her off the bench.

"Oops," Alex said when Jade glared up at her. "Sorry, total accident."

"But you did it on purpose," Cat said, her voice confused. "I saw you. I saw her-" She had turned to Robbie then, who shrugged at her.

Jade got up, dusted off her pants, gave the table a glare, then turned and left.

"Wow," Andre said, glancing at Alex with wide eyes. "She didn't kill you."

"Of course not," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Have you seen my car? If she killed me she wouldn't be able to ride in it anymore."

"One time my brother killed a raccoon with his car," Cat said, looking around at all of them with wide, innocent eyes. "He said it was an accident but I think he did it on purpose." They all looked at her for a few seconds, then the bell rang, distracting them.

* * *

"Hey guys," Alex said taking the mic. There had been four songs before hers, and she was pumped up to sing her new song. "I'm Alex, and this is a song I wrote for all you boys out there. Thanks so much for making my first couple months here interesting," she said sarcastically. Yes, the guys asking her out had declined in occurrences, but she still got asked out once or twice a week, mostly by freshmen on dares. It was even worse every time she went somewhere in public. It was impossible for her and Jade to go out to get sushi without getting approached by someone trying to hit on them. "This one's for you, it's called 'No'."

A slight giggle went through the crowd at that, mostly female she noticed. She cleared her throat and leaned into the mic, closing her eyes.

 _"I think it's so cute, and I think it's so sweet_

 _How you let your friends encourage you to speak to me._

 _But let me stop you there, oh, before you speak."_

She grinned over at the drummer, nodding her head as a cue. She took the mic from the stand, dancing a little on the spot.

 _"Nah to the ah to the no, no,no."_

 _My name is no_

 _My sign is no_

 _My number is no_

 _You need to let it go_

 _You need to let it go_

 _Need to let it go_

 _Nah to the ah to the no, no, no"_

She grinned as she twirled around their little platform above the courtyard they usually ate lunch in. The crowd below seemed to be really enjoying it, they were dancing and cheering. She grinned at the exhilaration she felt.

 _"First you gonna say you ain't runnin' game, thinkin' I'm believing every word_

 _Call me beautiful, so original, telling me I'm not like other girls_

 _I was in my zone before you came along, now I'm thinking maybe you should go_

 _Blah, blah, blah, I be like nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _All my ladies, listen up_

 _If that boy ain't giving up_

 _Lick your lips and swing your hips_

 _Girl all you gotta say is"_

She paused, letting the tension build, then leaned in to sing with Jade.

 _"My name is no_

 _My sign is no_

 _My number is no_

 _You need to let it go_

 _You need to let it go_

 _Need to let it go_

 _Nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _My name is no_

 _My sign is no_

 _My number is no_

 _You need to let it go_

 _You need to let it go_

 _Need to let it go_

 _Nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _Thank you in advance, I don't wanna dance (nope)_

 _I don't need your hands all over me_

 _If I want a man, then I'mma get a man_

 _But it's never my priority_

 _I was in my zone, before you came along, don't want you to take this personal_

 _Blah, blah, blah, I be like nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _All my ladies, listen up_

 _If that boy ain't giving up_

 _Lick your lips and swing your hips_

 _Girl all you gotta say is_

 _My name is no_

 _My sign is no_

 _My number is no_

 _You need to let it go_

 _You need to let it go_

 _Need to let it go_

 _Nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _All my ladies, listen up_

 _If that boy ain't giving up_

 _Lick your lips and swing your hips_

 _Girl all you gotta say is_

 _My name is no_

 _My sign is no_

 _My number is no_

 _You need to let it go_

 _You need to let it go_

 _Need to let it go_

 _Nah to the ah to the no, no, no_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Untouchable, untouchable_

 _I'm feeling_

 _Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no"_

When the song was finished she held up both arms and grinned at the applause and cheering, then turned to high-five Jade and the drummer. There was a relatively large section in front of the crowd where a bunch of girls had been dancing, and as Alex and Jade walked down the spiral stairs, they were swamped by girls telling them how much they liked the song.

"I think that was successful," Alex said to Jade when they were able to escape.

"I'd say so," Jade said, glaring at some freshman girls giggling nearby as the next act started up. The girls practically ran away, frightened. "Front page of SplashFace tomorrow."

"I had Sinjin record it so I could put it on my youtube channel," Alex said, shrugging.

"You should put it on your fan page too," Beck said from behind them, making Alex turn quickly enough to lose balance.

"My what?" She asked as she got over the shock of being surprised.

"Fan page," Beck repeated.

"I have a fan page?" Alex asked, eyes wide.

"Haven't you ever googled yourself?" Beck asked, grinning.

"No," Alex said, feeling dumb. "When did that start?"

"Last year sometime," Beck said, shrugging. "Right after you put your music on iTunes."

"Stalker," Alex said, frowning at him. She glanced around for Jade, but the other girl had gone.

"I found it completely by accident," Beck said, putting his hands up to stem the coming argument. "I was on the high school's news page before I went back to visit last year trying to find out what time the game was, and your name was on the list of 'notable students'."

"What?" Alex asked, confused. "I only went there for like three months."

"Well they had your name up," Beck said, shrugging. "And it linked to a wikipedia article about you, and your fan page."

"I have a wikipedia article?" Alex asked, her voice going up an octave in surprise.

"It's not very accurate," Beck said, shrugging.

"Oh my god," Alex said, running her hands through her hair only to remember that she had used gel to make her curls look neater that day. She wiped her hands on her pants, then pulled out her phone and sat on the stairs.

The music was back to prerecorded stuff, either because the live music was over, or the sound board people were taking a break. Beck was right, she did have a wikipedia page, but it was basically just a list of her songs on iTunes, her name and birthplace, and her age. They didn't have a date listed for her birthday, or anything saying she lived in Hollywood, which made her feel much less like she was being stalked.

"Why are you so upset that people know who you are?" Beck asked, sitting next to her on the stairs. "That's basically what every kid here is trying to do."

"I don't care that people know who I am as long as I don't know any of them," Alex said, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her chin in her hands. "When I'm done with high school I won't care at all, but when people who see me every day know that I have a little tiny 'in' with the music industry, they are all suddenly my best friends and want to brag that they know someone who is more popular than they are."

"I get it," Beck said, nodding as he leaned back on his elbows against the next step. They were silent for a couple moments, listening to the music and talking from just around the corner.

"So when did you start doing this posing thing you do now?" Alex asked, glancing over at him.

"What posing thing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes.

"You're doing it right now," she said, reaching over to poke him in the side. "That can't possible be comfortable. And you do it in the halls between class too, leaning against the lockers and door frames and making the duck face."

"I DO NOT make the duck face," Beck said, sitting up fast.

"Fine, you can call it leering," Alex said, chuckling. "But you definitely do it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Beck said, leaning against the stair railings again.

"Here, I can show you," Alex said, jumping up. She leaned one shoulder against a pillar popping a hip out and crossing one ankle over her other foot, then tilted her head to one side and made a very obvious duck face, narrowing her eyes a little. Then she ran one hand through her hair, making it stand up a little more, and tucked the other into her jeans pocket.

"I stand nothing like that," Beck said, shaking his head.

"Why are you standing like Beck?" Robbie asked, coming around the corner at the perfect time. Alex doubled over laughing while Beck made a distressed kind of denial noise.

"Thank you Robbie," Alex said, catching her breath. "You are no longer my least favorite person."

"Um, thanks?" Robbie said, glancing between them. He had probably never seen Alex laugh before, she tended to spend most of her time around him glaring at him or rolling her eyes. "Sinjin is looking for you."

"Thanks for the warning," Alex said, crossing her arms into their usual position. "Run along." He did so, shaking his head.

"I do _not_ pose," Beck mumbled when they were alone again.

"Aw, don't pout about it," Alex said, reaching over to tap his nose in a subconscious motion as she had done hundreds of times when they were younger, every time he was upset about something. She dropped her hand when she realized what she had done, and he blinked at her for a moment, then smiled.

"You aren't mad at me anymore, are you?" He asked, reaching down to grab her wrist in case she planned on running away from the question. She shivered as his fingers brushed her skin, and she was glad she had worn so much makeup for her performance, it would hide any blush her face decided to betray her with. She looked down anyway, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "Come on Xan," he said, using his childhood nickname for her. She broke at that, her heart stumbling in her chest, and finally looked up at him with a slight smile.

"No, I'm not mad anymore," she said, then gasped as he pulled her into a hug. He was warm and smelled familiar, and she immediately relaxed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist to hug him back. "I missed you, Bee," she whispered, using her old nickname for him. He squeezed her harder, then stepped back, beaming at her and keeping her hands in a tight grip.

"So we can be friends again?" He asked, seeming to need to be sure.

"We never stopped being friends, idiot," Alex said, rolling her eyes, but she couldn't make the smile go away.

"I _am_ sorry," Beck said, keeping his grip on her hands. He looked so serious that she had to smile.

"It's not your fault," Alex said. "Well, not any more or less than it is mine."

"I'm really glad you are here," Beck said. "I missed you too."

"And now that I'm here I can show all your new friends all the blackmail pictures I have from your childhood," Alex said, grinning.

"Don't you dare," he said, but he was chuckling. "Let's go dance."

"Are you any better than you were at my last birthday party?" She asked, letting him drag her back towards the crowd.

"Probably not," he said, laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! There is a slightly inappropriate scene this chapter, nothing graphic or anything, just some maybe T rated things. Also, there is a bit of alcohol consumption, just as a warning. Enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter Five

"Okay that's enough for today children," Sikowitz called to the dozen or so people in the theater room. It was the first day of rehearsals for Princess Bride, and Alex had been the worst person there by far. She had memorized all her lines and cues, but she was purposefully messing up to delay the very dramatic kiss scene that was about three pages in. "Alex, that was terrible."

"I know," Alex said, glaring at the teacher. "If you wanted a good lead you should have picked someone who actually wanted the part." She turned, grabbed her bag, and marched out of the room, slowing only when she was in the entry way.

"Alex," Beck called, catching up to her.

"What," she snapped, turning to glare at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, tucking his hands into his pockets as he came a little closer to her. She must have looked really mad if he was keeping so much distance.

"Nothing's wrong," Alex said, raising an eyebrow at him as she crossed her arms.

"Liar," he said, raising an eyebrow back at her as though saying 'I know you better than that'. "I've seen you memorize song lyrics after two play throughs and I know you've been reading the script. Why are you messing up on purpose?" She huffed, wishing he didn't know her as well as he did.

"It's nothing," she said at last, sighing. "I'll figure it out." He watched her for a moment, not giving up and she huffed again, then opened her mouth, but at that moment the voices of the other people who had been rehearsing drifted around the corner. Beck grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the janitors closed, then leaned against the door.

"Tell me what's wrong," he demanded.

"I just… really don't want to kiss you," Alex said, trying to say the words emotionlessly.

"Why not?" He asked, and she looked up at his tone.

"Oh my god," she said, seeing his pout. "Are you offended?"

"Maybe," he said, running a hand through his hair, his bottom lip still forming a pout. She reached over and tapped his nose, which made him automatically smile a little.

"Don't take it personally," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's just… weird."

"We've kissed before," he said, dropping his pouting face.

"Yeah when we were like ten," she said, crossing her arms. "For like two seconds, on a dare."

"It's just a stage kiss," he said.

"Oh my god really?" She said sarcastically. "I thought I really was a farm girl turned princess. Thank god I know better now."

"Okay, okay," Beck said, holding his hands up. "Sorry. But it's just kissing. What's the problem?"

"Nothing," Alex said, shrugging. "There's no problem, it's just weird because its you."

"What's wrong with me?" He asked in a mockingly offended voice. She appreciated that he was making this into a joke, it made her feel much less awkward.

"So many things," she said, chuckling. "I have a list somewhere, but it's too long to remember."

"Ouch," he said, chuckling. "So what do we do?"

"Well we don't really have a lot of options," Alex said, rolling her eyes again. "We have to kiss, it's in the script."

"I have an idea," he said after a moment. "Come over to my place?"

"Wow, that's moving a bit fast don't you think?" Alex said sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.

"Shut up," he said, stealing her move and rolling his eyes. "Just come over."

"I need to go home and change," she said, looking down at her once nice clothes that had become dirty from the prop building they had been doing all day. "Where do you live?"

He gave her his address, which really wasn't that far from her's, and they both left. Alex was nervous, though she didn't know why. Well, she did know why, but she had been trying to talk herself out of the stupid crush for days now.

* * *

"Grace?" Alex called, walking into the house.

"I'm in here," Grace called from the living room.

"I'm only home for a sec," Alex called back, climbing the stairs. "I'm going out again in a minute."

"Will you be home tonight?" Grace yelled, raising her voice so it followed Alex up the stairs.

"Yeah," Alex said. "Probably. Don't wait up." It was already almost eight and she wasn't sure what exactly Beck had invited her over for.

"Kay," Grace said. "I ordered pizza, there's some in the fridge if you want any."

"No thanks," Alex called back through her open bedroom door as she stripped off her clothes from that day, throwing them into her hamper. She hoped none of them were ruined from the paint. She pulled on her yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, forcing herself not to dress up to go see Beck, that would make it too much like a date for her tastes. She even went so far as to take off her makeup and most of her jewelry.

"Bye," she called to Grace as she went back out the door.

The drive to Beck's only took a couple minutes, and soon she was knocking on the house door.

"Oh hello," Mrs. Oliver said when she opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Alex said, feeling awkward. She had really liked Beck's parents when they had been growing up, but his mom clearly didn't recognize her now. "Beck and I were going to work on the play we have for our improv class."

"Well he's out in his trailer," the woman said, gesturing behind Alex.

"Okay, thanks," Alex said, turning around and walking back down the steps to knock on the metal door of the trailer.

"Hey," Beck said, pulling open the door and leaning against the frame. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"You're posing again," she said, stepping past him, then looking around the trailer while he sputtered his denial. "So you live in here?"

"Yeah," he said, sitting down on his couch.

"Nice," she said, still standing near the door. "I like it, it suits you."

"Thanks," he said, then patted the couch beside him. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure," she said, sitting as far back on the couch as she could so she could cross her legs in front of her. He got up, went to a mini fridge and pulled out two glass bottles, then handed one to her. She opened it, took a sip, then looked at the label with a raised brow.

"Wine coolers?" She asked, chuckling. "Are you trying to get me drunk?" She asked in a mockingly girly voice.

"That was the general idea," he said, taking his seat again as she looked up at him, surprised.

"Why?" She asked when he didn't elaborate.

"Because people are more relaxed with alcohol in their systems," he said, shrugging.

"Okay, so you were going to get me buzzed and then what?" She asked, knowing exactly what his plan was now. "Kiss me so that I'd be more comfortable with it in rehearsal?"

"Pretty much yeah," he said, not at all upset that she had figured out his plan.

"You are going to need something better then wine coolers," Alex said, taking a long drink from it. "After my classmates in Seattle learned that I wrote music for established bands I was invited to all sorts of parties. I've built up a bit of a tolerance."

"The strongest thing I have in here is beer," Beck said, shrugging. "It's not as easy to get alcohol as it would seem."

"You just have to have an older sister," Alex said, laughing. "I don't like your plan, I'm not a pleasant drunk."

"You don't need to get drunk, just a little buzzed," Beck said.

"How many of these do you have?" Alex asked, holding up her half empty bottle.

"I dunno, like ten?" He said, going back over to his fridge.

"Bring them here," she said, tapping the little table in front of the couch. "Aren't you offended that I have to be drunk to kiss you?"

"No," Beck said, setting his armful of bottles on the table. "I get it. It was weird kissing my friends in plays when I first started doing it too."

"How'd you get over it?" Alex asked, finishing off her bottle and grabbing another.

"I just did," he said, shrugging. "It gets less weird after the first couple times."

"Didn't Jade get mad that you kissed other girls while you were dating her?" Alex asked, opening her third bottle.

"Yeah, all the time," Beck said, shrugging. "But it wasn't that hard to make her jealous."

"Yeah we talked about that," Alex said, chuckling as she recalled the conversation. She downed her wine cooler and opened her fourth, then chugged that too.

"You talked to Jade about me?" Beck asked, surprised.

"Of course I did," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "We are girls, that's what we do, gossip."

"What did you two talk about?" He asked, watching her set her fifth empty bottle on the table. "Should you really be drinking those that fast?"

"They are five percent alcohol," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to need to be pretty buzzed."

"I feel as though I should be offended," Beck said, but he chuckled.

"It's not you," she said. "It's just that I know you so well, or I used to at least. It would be like… I dunno… trying to act like you are in love with your brother or something. It's just weird to think about, eh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Beck said, chuckling as she set down the sixth empty bottle.

"We didn't really talk about you a lot," Alex said, settling back against the couch with her next drink. "I mean, we did, but not really."

"You don't make sense," Beck said. Alex rolled her eyes and her head began to spin a little bit.

"I do," Alex said, frowning. "I mean that Jade and I have talked about you a couple times, but thats because we have you in common. We've also talked a lot about music, because we both have that in common too. And we both have idiots for parents. And we both dislike people. You just happen to be a subject that has come up before."

"And what did you both say about me?" He asked, leaning forward a little in his seat.

"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you," Alex said, sighing as she reached for her ninth drink. "I mean, we sort of have an unspoken friendship confidentiality agreement."

"Right," Beck said, standing. "Hold on, I'll be right back." He left the trailer, and Alex finished off the last wine cooler, then carefully got up to set each glass bottle softly into the trash can next to the fridge, making sure they didn't break. When the table was clear again she went in search of the bathroom, then looked at the knick-knacks scattered around the trailer, waiting for Beck to return. There were a couple things she recognized from his childhood bedroom back in Vancouver, but nearly everything was new.

"Alright, here," Beck said, coming back into the trailer. "I got you some whisky, and some vodka, but don't drink too much of it or my dad will notice it's gone."

"Do you remember in seventh grade when we went to, uh, Rayna something's house and she stole that case of her dad's beer?" Alex asked, accepting the bottle of whisky, then hunting through the fridge for a beer to chase it with.

"Rayna Newerk," Beck said, nodding as he sat back on the couch, still sipping his first wine cooler as he watched her set up things on the table. She sat on the floor, crossing her legs under the low coffee table. "Yeah."

"Well her dad found out about it and called my mom," Alex said. "I lied and told her that I drank all of them because I didn't want you to get into trouble."

"Did you really?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah well, I knew my mom would forget about it by the next day anyway," Alex said, shrugging. She lifted the bottle of whisky to her mouth, took a gulp, grimaced, then drank some of her beer.

"How is your mom?" Beck asked.

"Fine," Alex said, shrugging. "Still writing. She hasn't called me since we moved here. I wonder if she's noticed we are gone yet."

"She hasn't called you in six months?" Beck asked, frowning.

"Well, she's called Grace a couple times," Alex said. "So she knows we're okay and everything. Dad calls more often, usually to try to convince Grace to get a real job. Your mom didn't recognize me."

"I didn't mention that you are in town," Beck said, shrugging. Alex nodded in understanding. Beck's mother was nice, and sweet, and definitely overbearingly involved when she thought a situation needed to be fixed. "How's your head?"

"Wooshy," Alex said, smiling a little. She took another drink of whisky, then of beer.

"Maybe you should lay off that for a while," Beck said, tugging the bottle from her grip. "Let it kick in."

"Fine," Alex said, leaning back and using her arms to keep her upright.

"While we wait," Beck began, smiling mischievously. "What do you and Jade say when you talk about me."

"Lots of things," Alex said, chuckling. "But you aren't drunk enough to hear them."

"How drunk do I need to be?" Beck asked, glancing down at the whisky bottle.

"Drunk enough that you won't remember," Alex said, leaning back until she was on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.

"Are you drunk enough that you won't remember?" Beck asked, glancing at her.

"Not even close," Alex said. "I'm just about drunk enough to do something insane, like kissing you."

"You are very close to offending me again," Beck said, chuckling. Alex sat up fast, reached out, and tapped his nose, grinning.

"Don't pout," she said, making a fake pouting face at him. "We talked about why you guys broke up mostly," Alex said, crossing her arms to lean over the table. "And how you started dating, and what you were like as a kid. I showed her that album my mom made. She particularly found the picture of you in a princess dress and makeup to be hilarious."

"Oh my god," Beck groaned, putting his face into his hands. "Please tell me she didn't get a copy of it."

"No," Alex said, shaking her head. "That would be admitting that we have conversations about things deeper than the weather or lunch."

"Like what?" Beck asked, interested again.

"Lots of things," Alex repeated, grinning. "Her parents, my parents, music, my epiphany while I was running a couple weeks ago. Did you know that Jade is really observant when she wants to be? I didn't even have to tell her, she just knew. And it was fine."

"What are you talking about?" Beck asked, trying to follow her conversation.

"It's confusing isn't it?" Alex asked, nodding her head. "That's why I go running so much, so I can think. Though this is a pleasant alternative. I should get drunk more often. In a few months I can drink legally."

"In Canada," Beck said, shaking his head. "The drinking age here is 21, not 19."

"Maybe I'll just move back without telling you," Alex said. "Put some music on."

"I've apologized for that so many times," Beck said with a sigh, but he did get up to open his computer.

"I know," Alex sighed. "I'm not mad about it, don't worry. I was just _so_ upset." Beck put on a playlist, making sure the volume was low enough not to bother anyone in the house, then came back over to her, holding his hand out to her.

"Upset?" Beck asked, helping her to her feet.

"I cried for like a month," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Then I got mad and wrote a bunch of songs about how much I hated you."

"Did you really?" He asked, chuckling.

"It's not funny," she said, punching his arm. "I was so mad. And oh my god I was so mean to the people that moved into your old house." She covered her face.

"What did you do?" Beck asked, leading her over to the couch, catching her when she stumbled.

"So many things," she said, half falling onto the couch. "I put weedkiller all over their front yard. Their grass still hadn't grown back when we moved away. And I used to sneak in through that board in the fence that wasn't nailed down at the bottom and I'd move things around their yard and a couple times I snuck in through that one basement window." He nodded, knowing what she was talking about. The two of them had discovered every secret about that old house. "While they were sleeping I would put messages on the walls in paint, or turn the TV on to a static channel, and one time I filled all the cups in their kitchen with water and put them all on the floor upside down. You know, so when they picked them up the water would go everywhere."

"Wow," he said, letting her lean on him as she swayed a little. "Why?"

"I was bored, and angry, and I guess I thought it was a little funny to make them think their house was haunted," Alex said with a sigh. "I didn't really have much to do that summer." She ducked her head for a moment, leaning her face into her hands. After a couple seconds, her eyes overflowed and her shoulders shook a little.

"Alex?" Beck asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Are you crying?"

"I told you I'm not a fun drunk," Alex said, her voice breaking a little. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Beck said, pulling her into him. "It's okay." She turned her face into his chest, snaking her arms around his stomach as she cried. He rubbed her back, murmuring to her, though she wasn't listening to what he was saying.

"I'm sorry," Alex said again, pulling away from him. "This probably would have been a good idea, but I just can't. I'm sorry."

"Hey, talk to me," he said, letting her pull away to wipe her eyes. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't even know," Alex said, looking down into her lap. "I just cry all the time for no reason."

"I doubt that," Beck said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders again. She leaned her head against his shoulder, curling up against him. This was familiar to her, they had sat this way a lot when they were younger, nearly every time she was upset. Her knees were folded up, falling over his right leg a little, and his hand was rubbing her shoulder and the top of her arm. She took a deep breath in, relaxing into him.

"I can't drive home," Alex realized, not moving.

"You can stay here," Beck said. "It'll be a sleepover, just like grade school."

"We have school tomorrow," Alex said, yawning. "My head is spinning."

"Okay, let's see how drunk you are," he said, and it took her a moment to process the words. He got up, pulling her up to her feet, then he let go before she had caught her balance. She stumbled, then used the back of the couch to push herself up again. When she was still, she raised her hands in a ta-da motion, smirking. He chuckled, then pulled her toward him, catching her when she stumbled against him.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, laughing. "I can walk fine on my own."

"Liar," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She looked up at him, then blinked at their nearness and tried to take a step back. His arms tightened around her, keeping her in place. "I'm going to kiss you now, okay?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alex said, but she couldn't look away from him.

"It's just kissing, okay?" He said. "And this is just practicing for the play. It doesn't need to mean anything."

"You aren't drunk," Alex said, trying to step back again. "This is a bad idea."

"You need to be comfortable around me for this play," Beck said. "It's half your grade."

"I just can't do this," Alex said, her voice a whisper as she looked up at him. Her hands that had been pushing against him moments before were resting between their bodies now, against his chest, and her breathing was fast and anxious.

"If you tell me to stop I will," Beck said, his face serious as he moved a hand up to cup the side of her face. Alex's heart skipped a beat at the motion, and her eyes drifted closed as he very slowly dipped his head towards hers. She could feel his warm breath on her face, and her fingers flexed into his shirt as her heart beat hard against her chest.

"Stop," she said softly when his lips were just a hairs breadth away from hers. He froze and she could feel the warmth coming off him from how close they were. She didn't move back though his grip around her waist had loosened at her word. She took in a couple breaths, then moved to bury her face against his shoulder, still clutching on to his shirt as she tried to force her mind to think. The hand that had been cupping her face had moved to the back of her neck, holding her against him, and she was suddenly aware of his heartbeat under her hands, beating nearly as fast as hers was. He took a deep breath in, but she didn't move her forehead from his shoulder. "Sorry," she whispered for the hundredth time that night.

"Stop apologizing," he said, his voice a rough whisper. She finally stepped away from him, wanting to see his face, but she couldn't bring herself to lift her head. "Okay," he said after a moment, and his voice was back to normal, though a little determined. "I have another idea." He almost sounded nervous, and that slight undertone of anxiety was what made Alex look at him.

"What?" Alex asked, watching, slightly confused, as he walked around her, back to the coffee table. Her eyes widened as he picked up the bottle of whisky, taking a long drink of it.

"Let's make a deal," he said, then took another long drink from the bottle.

"What kind of deal?" She asked, watching him finish off her half full can of beer, then take another drink of whisky.

"We don't regret anything that happens now," he said, putting the bottle back down. "We are both going to be drunk. We don't have to talk about it again, and it doesn't have to mean anything after today."

"I don't understand," Alex said, watching him walk towards the door. He flipped the lights off, but there was enough light coming in the windows from the street lights for her to see him pause at the table to take another drink of alcohol before putting the lid on it. Then she could see his outline come back towards her, and she realized she was swaying on her feet.

"Alex, I really want to kiss you," Beck said, reaching an arm out to wrap around her waist. "Do we have a deal?"

"I-" Alex began, trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying.

"Stop thinking," Beck said, running a hand through her hair, pulling it back a little to tilt her head up.

"Okay," Alex said, her eyes closing. "Okay, deal."

Beck pulled her closer, moving his head to hers, but she caught his face, wanting to draw it out a little. If there were no regrets for today, then she could savor this, just in case it never happened again. She ran her thumbs down his cheekbones, then over his lips and down the sides of his neck. His eyes were closed, and he tilted his head a little to one side, and Alex realized her eyes were open, and then that she could do whatever she wanted. She lifted a hand to run through his hair, wanting to see if it was as soft as it looked. She tucked it behind one of his ears, then ran her fingertips down to his collarbone, gently touching the raised bone that wasn't quite covered by his shirt collar. His arms tightened around her waist, and she looked up again to see that he was watching her. Her heart jumped in her chest and she raised a hand back to his cheek as he lifted one to her chin, tilting her face up to his. His eyes searched hers for a moment, but she had no idea what he was looking for.

"Please," he murmured softly, his breath brushing across her face. That's right, she had said stop before. He wanted to make sure she was okay with this now. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and his eyes followed the motion, mimicking it subconsciously. The hand under her chin shifted up to cup the side of her face, and she opened her eyes, realizing they had drifted shut. She tried to focus, but her thoughts had abandoned her completely now, whether from the alcohol, or the anticipation of finally kissing Beck, she wasn't sure.

She leaned forward carefully, hesitating when their lips were just a centimeter apart, then she drew in a breath, leaned forward, and stopped thinking.

He deepened the kiss almost immediately, the hand on her face moving around to tilt her head back further, and the arm around her waist tightening to pull her closer to him. Both of her arms went around his neck, pulling herself up against him, and his tongue immediately brushed her lips, prompting her to open them.

Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she was lightheaded from lack of air, not remembering how to breathe at the moment, and suddenly, the floor moved. Or rather, she lost her balance, leaning into him and knocking him off balance too.

He didn't seem to care though, he kept his arms around her, walking her backwards towards his bed, and pushed her down so she was sitting. He leaned down to her, kissing her again as he stood in front of her, and she tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer.

Before she realized it, she was laid back on the bed, and Beck was hovering over her, one of her legs wrapped around his hip, and both of her hands in his hair. She rolled them over, catching him by surprise, and straddled his hips as she sat up, breathing heavily.

"Beck," she said, not really sure how to say that they really shouldn't go any further than they already had, but that she kind of really wanted to.

"Yeah," he said, catching his breath. "I know."

She leaned down to kiss him again, not really wanting it to end yet, and he wrapped his hands around her arms to pull her down against him, then moved his arms around her waist, keeping her there as they both caught their breath and tried to think, though both of them were failing at the later. She squirmed a little, trying to sit up again, and he tightened his grip.

"Don't do that," he said, his voice holding a warning. She froze for a moment, looking down at him. His eyes were closed, and he moved his arms, one hand coming to rest on her hip, one moving up to brush his hair back off his face. She leaned up again, eyes on his face, and rolled her hips against his, testing. He let out a little surprised groan, his hand flying to her other hip to hold her still, and his head tilted back into the pillow a little. "Alex," he said, warning her again, though his voice was breathless. She repeated the motion, and even though he was wearing jeans, she could feel his growing excitement. His fingers dug into her hips roughly, trying to keep her still as she rolled against him again. She wasn't sure what she was doing, moments ago she had thought that they had gone far enough, but he had said no regrets, after all, and she really liked the little soft groans he was voicing. Her hands rested on his chest for balance as she moved again, and he rolled his head back a little more. "Fuck," he growled, and she closed her eyes at the sound, almost not believing that hearing him swear could affect her so much.

His hands began to drift up her sides, lifting her t-shirt as they went, and clenching against her ribs as she rolled her hips again. Then suddenly he was sitting up, lifting her shirt over her head. She let him, lifting her arms to help, and when the shirt was tossed to the floor, he dragged her face down to his with both hands, kissing her hard, and she sighed into the kiss, her hands falling to his shoulders. After a moment, she realized that he was still wearing his shirt, making her very under dressed, so she plucked at the fabric until he leaned back to take it off, and then he was kissing her again.

She ran her hands over his newly exposed chest, enjoying the warmth from his skin. He pulled his lips away from hers, letting her draw in a shaky breath, and began to kiss along her jaw, then down her neck. She let her head roll back, closing her eyes at the tingles running down her spine. He reached the strap of her bra, his hand lifting to her shoulder to push it down her arm, and she reached behind her to undo the hooks, pulling the material off of her. She moaned softly when his hands came up to cup her breasts, and he smiled against her neck, then suddenly they were moving, and she landed on her back again, with him hovering over her. He looked down at her for a moment, taking in her newly revealed skin for a long moment before looking back up at her. She raised an eyebrow, for some reason not feeling the least bit self conscious even though she had spent the last couple weeks worrying about even kissing him.

"You are beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss her again. She closed her eyes at the words, savoring them, and wondering briefly if he would remember saying them tomorrow. Or if she would remember him saying them. She hoped so. Her chest felt like it might explode, and her head was swimming, trying keep hold of the words as he kissed her mouth, then her nose, then her cheek, and finally he stopped, supporting his weight on his elbows as he lifted his head to look at her face. Her eyes remained closed for a moment as she caught her breath, but finally she looked up at him, confused. His chest was just barely brushing hers, and it was a very teasing feeling. She arched her back so she was pressed against him again, and he closed his eyes, letting his head drop against her shoulder. She ran her hands down his back, lightly scratching with her nails, and he shivered against her, but didn't lift his head. She let her hands travel between them, turning them so her palms were flat against his stomach and her fingertips could dip just barely below the waistline of his jeans for a moment, then she quickly unbuttoned them, then pushed them a little ways down his hips.

He moved, kicking them off to their pile of clothes on the floor, but then he stopped again, hovering above her without touching her. Both of them were breathing hard, and neither one looked away from the other, but they didn't move either. When she had caught her breath, Alex finally closed her eyes, breaking their little staring contest.

"We need to stop," Beck said, his voice a whisper above her. She wrapped her hands around his arms and pulled so he wasn't supporting himself above her anymore, but rather lying against her chest. When he didn't immediately try to move away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He was still lifting most of his weight off of her with his elbows, but his hands were on her arms, gently pulling them off his neck. She rolled her hips up against his again, just to see what he would do, and she was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath in her ear. "Alex," he whispered, his voice soft against her neck, and she felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes at the tenderness in that one word.

"I know," she whispered, repeating his words from a few minutes ago. Or had it been an hour ago? She had no idea. It felt like days had gone by since she'd gotten there, and she had the passing thought that she would have been completely fine with days and weeks passing by so long as the two of them stayed in this position.

Almost as soon as she had thought that, he moved, collapsing on his side next to her. She turned to face him, her arms coming up to cover her chest as she shivered at the cool air her body was now exposed to. Beck sat up halfway for a moment, groping around by their feet, then pulling a thick comforter over them both. His arm fell comfortably across her bare waist under the blanket, and one of her hands rested flat against the side of his neck where she could feel his pulse, slowly getting more regular as his heartbeat returned to normal.

They were silent for a long time, and Alex wasn't even sure if he was still awake.

"Beck?" She whispered, not wanting to wake him if he was, in fact, asleep.

"Yeah?" He whispered back, and she smiled into the darkness.

"Can I just kiss you one more time?" Alex asked softly. "Just in case this is the last time we do this?"

"It won't be the last time," he said, his voice confident. "But yeah, you can."

She leaned forward, tilting her face up to his, and they kissed softly for a moment before she pulled away and tucked her face back against his shoulder, curling up against him.

"Thanks," she said softly, and she thought she felt him kiss the top of her head in reply, but she was asleep a moment later.

* * *

Alex woke suddenly, flinching a little. She had been falling in her dream, though that was all she could remember as she blinked against the light. Her head pounded, and it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't at home, and then an even longer moment to remember what she had done the night before. She glanced over at Beck, who was still asleep. One of his arms was draped over her waist still, and his hair was terribly mussed. She might have found it cute, but she was trying to shove the entire situation out of her mind to think about later.

She carefully climbed out of the bed, trying not to wake him, and he must have been a heavy sleeper, or maybe just hungover, because she definitely wasn't as quiet as she was trying to be. She bumped into a chair as she pulled her bra and shirt on, and his phone fell to the floor. She picked it up, intending to check the time, then she gasped. It was almost 7:15, and Jade would be waiting for a ride to school in five minutes.

Alex pulled on her shoes, not bothering to hunt out her socks, and grabbed her phone and keys from the couch, then practically ran out the door.

In her car, squinting against the light, she took a moment to hunt out her sunglasses, then she was speeding towards her house.

Jade was walking across her lawn as Alex pulled in and parked.

"I'm so sorry, just give me like five minutes," Alex called, running towards her house.

She pulled on the first clothes she could find, which happened to be plain jeans and a dark blue 'Seattle' tourist type t-shirt. She brushed her teeth while trying to tie her hair back into something that didn't look so terrible, then threw her makeup bag into her purse, figuring she would have some time at some point to put some of it on. For now though, she grabbed her largest pair of oversized sunglasses, and ran back down the stairs. Grace must have already left for work, so Alex locked the door behind her, going back over to her car where Jade was waiting with crossed arms.

"You look terrible," Jade said, smiling a little at the words. "Long night?"

"My head hurts," Alex said, climbing behind the wheel. "Can you at least wait until after lunch to give me crap?"

"No promises," Jade said, chuckling, but she didn't talk the rest of the way to school. Alex's entire body felt tired, she definitely would need coffee to survive the day, and possibly some aspirin.

They got to the school just as the first warning bell was ringing, and Alex took a moment to hunt through her glove box for the little packet of tylenol. She took them, chugged half a bottle of water, then finally followed Jade into the building.

Her first three classes of the day dragged by, every word anyone spoke seemed to echo around in her head, making it throb. She was extra thankful that the school was so lax on dress code policies. She never would have been allowed to wear her dark sunglasses through class at her old school, but Hollywood Arts believed that the students should be 'free to express themselves'. No one even commented that she was wearing clothes she usually reserved for being at home, and only Jade commented on her lack of usual jewelry. She had taken out her eyebrow piercing and lip ring the night before and hadn't thought to grab them when she was rushing through her room that morning. She still hadn't grabbed socks either, and her feet felt weird in their flats without the extra material.

"What's up with you today?" Tori asked as Alex took her seat at their usual lunch table. She hadn't seen Beck all day, and she felt a little bad about that, thinking that maybe she should have woken him up when she left, but he had looked so peaceful, and she hadn't wanted it to be awkward.

"Nothing," Alex said, too tired to put her usual venom into the words. "I just overslept and didn't have a lot of time to get ready this morning."

"Yes but the question is, where exactly were you 'oversleeping'?" Jade asked snidely as she joined the table. Alex took a bite of her toast, not bothering to look up at the other girl.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked, frowning as Andre and Robbie joined them.

"Well this morning at 7:19am Alex looked even worse, and she was definitely just coming home," Jade said, laughing as Alex ignored her. "Where were you coming from in such a hurry?"

"I was hanging out with a friend and didn't feel up to driving home last night," Alex said, shrugging.

"Ah, and could alcohol consumption have played a part in this?" Jade asked, chuckling again.

"What?" Tori asked, looking at Alex with wide eyes. Alex kept her head down and pushed her sunglasses further up her nose.

"Come on Zeller, lets see those eyes," Jade said, pulling Alex's sunglasses off her face. Alex instinctively narrowed her eyes against the bright sun, then sighed, glancing at them. She knew her eyes wouldn't be red, they never were when she drank, which she was grateful for.

"What's going on?" Beck said, approaching the table and setting down his lunch. He looked perfectly prepared for the day, as though he'd gotten a full eight hours of sleep and then had a couple hours to get ready in the morning.

"We are trying to figure out why Alex looks like crap," Jade commented snidely as Cat joined them at the table.

"That's not very nice," Cat said, opening her lunch, which contained a veggie wrap.

"Let's talk about something else," Alex said, stabbing her fork into her stir-fry from the food truck. It was much more greasy than she thought a stir fry should be, but right then she didn't care. She hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day, and for that she'd only had a bowl of fruit. "Like how terrible Mr. Grensky's hair is today."

"It really is bad," Tori said, grimacing at the thought of their English teacher. The man was going bald in an unfortunate way, and he wore his hair in a terribly obvious combover. Today he was wearing a toupee that was very clearly the wrong color for him.

"I wonder if he ever looks in the mirror," Cat added in, frowning. "Maybe we should give him one?"

"A mirror?" Alex asked though she really didn't care at all about the conversation, she just wanted to keep it off her.

"Yes," Cat said, nodding. "Maybe he doesn't have one at home and that's why his hair always looks so bad. One time I tried doing my hair without a mirror and it turned out really bad."

"Why were you doing you hair without a mirror?" Andre asked, taking a bite of his fries.

"Well my brother took all the mirrors in the house and put them into the basement," Cat began, And Alex tuned her out, rolling her eyes as she took another bite.

"Maybe he took Alex's mirror too," Jade commented, and Alex looked up to glare at her.

"No, I don't think so," Cat said, frowning in thought. "This was months ago, he's put all the mirrors back now."

"So Robbie, what did you do yesterday?" Jade asked in a fake interested voice. When he opened his mouth, she cut him off. "Wow that's so interesting. Alex?"

"Jade, stop," Alex said, her voice tired. "I was out last night, it's none of your business who I was with or what I was doing."

"Is it a secret?" Cat asked, looking up with wide eyes. "I'm really good at keeping secrets."

"No you aren't," Andre said, shaking his head.

"It's not a secret," Alex said, resisting the urge to glance at Beck. She knew that Jade was probably watching her for any tells. "I just don't feel like telling you."

"Why not?" Jade asked, crossing her arms. "We are your friends aren't we?"

"Not if you keep talking," Alex muttered, moving her stir fry around it's container with her fork as she leaned her head on one hand.

"I don't understand why it's such a big deal," Jade began, narrowing her eyes.

"Okay, fine," Alex said, setting her fork down to glare at Jade. "I talked with Olivia yesterday." This wasn't a lie, she had talked to Olivia, but it had been over the phone and during their lunch hour. "She had some champagne." This too was not false, Olivia had been overly excited about the whole Beyonce thing. She said she hadn't even asked the singer's PR people to give Alex credit, they had done it on their own. She didn't bother to explain the details to Jade, letting her and the others assume that Alex had gone to Olivia's house and they had shared champagne.

"Who's Olivia?" Tori asked curiously, and Alex stood, taking her stir fry with her.

"If you are all just going to interrogate me about every detail of my life I'm going to go eat lunch somewhere else," Alex said, then stalked off back into the school. She finished a little more of her stir fry while sitting on the steps in the entryway of the school, then she went into the girls bathroom for the remainder of lunch, quickly but efficiently putting enough makeup on her face that she no longer looked so tired.

She shoved her sunglasses up on top of her head to hold her curls down a little better, then she hurried to make it to Sikowitz's class before the bell rang.

"You could have just said you were at Olivia's," Jade said as Alex took the seat beside her.

"I didn't want to have to explain Olivia to everyone else," Alex said, shrugging. This too wasn't exactly a lie.

"I still think that's stupid," Jade said, crossing her arms.

"Well it's my life so I get to do what I want with it, thanks," Alex said, grabbing her bag and moving to the other side of the room.

"Hey," Beck said, taking the seat beside her. She glanced at him for a moment, meeting his eyes, and immediately was brought back to the evening before, right before they kissed for the first time. She swallowed, blinking to break their eye contact, hating that her heart sped up so much with just a look.

"Hi," she said, looking back to the front of the room. She saw him shift closer to her out of the corner of her eye.

"Please don't feel weird around me," Beck whispered, and she shivered as his breath brushed the side of her face. She kept her head facing forward, but titled it a little as she spoke back.

"I don't," she said, though it was a little bit of a lie. But he had said they didn't have to talk about it again, or think about it or anything. So she wouldn't bring it up.

"Good," he said at a normal volume, sitting back in his chair. She couldn't read the tone in his voice but at that moment, Sikowitz came crawling in through the window, so she didn't have to figure it out.

* * *

"Come with me." Alex barely had time to push her locker closed as Beck dragged her across the hall to the janitor's closet. Classes had just let out for the day and they had about fifteen minutes until Sikowitz would be expecting them in the theatre to start rehearsals.

"What?" Alex asked, crossing her arms over her chest as he closed the door behind them and leaned against it, blocking her escape.

"Look, about yesterday," he began, but trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. Her stomach sunk at the words. He was going to say he regretted it, or that it was a mistake, or that it would never happen again.

"You said you didn't want to talk about it," she reminded him.

"No, I said that we didn't have to talk about it," he corrected, then sighed.

"Then let's not," Alex said before he could speak. "Whatever you are about to say, it's fine. We will just… pretend it didn't happen."

"Is that what you want?" He asked, his voice even and not giving anything away.

"Yeah," she said, really not wanting to hear him outright reject her.

"Fine," he said shortly, then he turned and left the closet, leaving her confused and hurting.

She hated this feeling, the one that always came after something that you were really really hoping for almost happened, but then didn't at the last second. It had happened on her ninth birthday when her parents had promised a trip to disney world, but then her dad had gotten a big important case at work and they hadn't had time to go. And it had happened two years ago when Alex had first slept with her, at the time, boyfriend. She had been looking forward to it for weeks, and then when it had finally happened he had been high, and it hadn't been enjoyable at all. It had happened just before she had moved here, when she had thought that maybe this year, for her 18th birthday, her parents would have enough time to do something with her to celebrate it, but they hadn't. He mother hadn't even emerged from her study the entire day.

And now, this time, was the worst it had been. It seemed as though she had waited since middle school for Beck to see her feelings for him, and now that he finally had, he didn't want to do anything about them. Her heart felt like it was simultaneously sinking into her chest and trying to break out of it.

This was more than a crush. She'd had crushes before, and she had never ever felt the level of hurt she did now just from hearing him say that they didn't have to talk about it.

Alex sunk down against the shelves in the janitor's closet and wrapped her arms around her knees, then tucked her face into her arms as her eyes spilled over.

"Alex?" Cat's voice was soft and sweet, and Alex didn't look up at her.

"What?" She asked, her voice cold.

"Sikowitz wants to start rehearsals," Cat said, and Alex heard the click of the door closing.

"I'll be there in a minute, leave me alone," Alex said, still not lifting her face.

"Are you alright?" Cat asked, and Alex heard her sit down in front of her.

"Yes, go away," she said, making her voice purposefully haughty.

"When I'm sad I like to hug people," Cat said, and Alex finally glanced up at the other girl. Usually Cat listened when Alex snapped at her to do something. Cat was sitting on her knees, legs folded under her, and she had her arms spread wide for a hug.

"No," Alex said, glaring at the other girl.

"Okay," Cat said, not in the least bit offended, and that made Alex feel bad. Cat was just trying to make her feel better. "I'll go and tell them you are in the bathroom." She stood and went to the door.

"Cat," Alex said, stopping the other girl from leaving. "Thanks."

"Anytime," she said happily, then bounced out of the room. Alex sat back and wiped her fingers under her eyes, making sure that the makeup she had put on during lunch wasn't running, then she got up and followed Cat to rehearsals.

Alex went through all her lines emotionlessly, but word for word. She got through the kiss scenes by just not thinking about what she was doing, and Sikowitz seemed a little happier with her performance this time. Beck left without talking to her again, and she couldn't help but feel as though she had made him angry, though she wasn't sure what she had done.

She went home, exhausted, and fell into bed fully clothed and was asleep before the clock hit seven.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Did I do something wrong?" Alex asked, cornering Beck in the hallway three days later. He had barely said a word to her outside of rehearsals, and since she wasn't very close to the others in the group and Jade had been busy all week, Alex had been feeling really lonely, something she didn't even know she could feel anymore.

"Well in scene two your line is actually-" Beck began, but Alex narrowed her eyes and cut him off.

"You know that's not what I meant," she said, lowering her voice as some other people walked past them on the way out of rehearsals. Sikowitz had let them out early that day so he could attend some sort of fresh market sale downtown. Alex had made sure to let everyone in their friend group leave ahead of her, and luckily, Beck had also been slow to leave. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

"We are talking right now," he said, being deliberately obtuse.

"Beck," she said tiredly, brushing her hair out of her face. His expression fell for a moment, and then suddenly he was bored again.

"Alex," he replied, and she stared up at him.

"Please talk to me," she said, her voice very close to begging.

"You said you didn't want to talk," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets and looking over her head.

"Yeah, about-" She cut herself off as someone else walked by, then suddenly she understood, and the hope that had nearly crushed her before as it died, jumped into her throat again. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," he said, shrugging, but she could see his fists tighten, and she understood he was angry, though she wasn't sure why.

"Beck, I said I didn't want to talk about it because I thought you were going to say it was a mistake," Alex said, meeting his eyes so he could see that she wasn't lying. "I thought you were going to tell me you regretted it, and I really didn't want to hear that."

"No regrets," he said immediately, frowning. "I wasn't going to say that it was a mistake." Alex's heart pounded in her ears at the words.

"What were you going to say?" Alex asked, frozen in place. He hesitated, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed.

"It's nothing," Beck said. "It wasn't important."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked, her heart sinking again. She felt like an idiot.

"I'm sure," he said, smiling his easy smile, and suddenly everything was okay.

"So… you aren't mad at me anymore?" Alex asked, wanting to be sure.

"I was never mad at you," Beck said, throwing an arm over her shoulder to steer her towards the parking lot.

"I'm not going to make you explain," Alex said, relaxing under his arm. "But I think that was a lie."

"It might have been," he said, chuckling. "But we're good."

"Good," Alex said, sighing. "So what are your plans for tonight?"

"I have a non-date with Tori," Beck said, chuckling.

"A what?" Alex asked, stamping down the surge of jealousy at the words 'date' and Tori' in the same sentence.

"Tori thinks that if its just me and her hanging out it will be too much like a date," Beck said, shrugging. "So we are going on an opposite date to prove that we can hang out together without it being like a date."

"Oh," Alex said. "I think I followed that," she said, trying to make her words light. "So where are you going?"

"I dunno yet," he said. "Somewhere terrible."

"Well good luck with that," Alex said, taking a step towards her car just as Sinjin rounded the corner on his bike and sped out of the parking lot. Alex and Beck both stared after him, then turned to each other and shrugged.

"See you tomorrow," Beck called, then got into his car. Alex waited in the drivers seat of her car until he had left the parking lot, then pulled out her phone and dialed Jade.

"Hey Jade, how do you feel about a little stalking?" Alex asked, pulling out of her parking spot.

"Who are we stalking?" Jade asked over the phone, and Alex heard a laugh in the background.

"Are you with Cat?" Alex asked.

"Hi Alex" Cat called through the phone, and Alex rolled her eyes. "We are already on a mission-"

"Shut up," Jade hissed at the other girl.

"Oops," Cat said, giggling.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, curious now.

"Oh, you know, just driving around," Jade said, and Alex frowned.

"You're following Beck aren't you?" She guessed. There was no other reason Jade would be so secretive.

"How did you know?" Cat asked, giggling again. "I wasn't allowed to tell you. Or Jade. Oops."

"Beck told me he was going out with Tori," Alex said, ignoring the other girl.

"It's not a date!" Cat called, laughing.

"Where are you?" Alex asked, turning off the highway onto her road.

"At my house," Jade said.

"I'll meet you there in five," Alex said, then hung up the phone.

When she pulled into her driveway, she spotted Jade and Cat, both sitting in the front seat of Jade's mom's car. Alex opened the passenger side door and squeezed in, shoving Cat into the middle of the bench seat.

"So where are they?" Jade asked, starting the car without looking at Alex.

Jade had said she didn't want to be the reason that Beck was alone, but Alex knew that her dislike towards Tori was making her jealous over their little non-date. Alex didn't mind because it meant she was't the only one who wanted to follow them, but she wondered for the hundredth time if Jade was truly over Beck.

"I don't know," Alex said, shrugging.

"Cat?" Jade asked, pulling out onto the road.

"I'm not allowed to tell," Cat said, giggling again.

"Let's get some ice cream," Alex suggested, catching Jade's eye. They both new that ice cream, or candy, was the best way to bribe the younger girl.

"Yay!" Cat said, clapping. "I love ice cream."

"Great," Alex said, watching Jade pull into an ice cream store parking lot.

The sun had set by the time they were back in the car, pulling onto the freeway. Jade waited a bit, glancing at Cat.

"Well?" She finally asked, looking at the red head who was happily licking her ice cream. Cat looked over at her with wide eyes.

"Thank you for the ice cream cone," Cat said obediently. Alex leaned forward over the back of the seat between them.

"I bought you the ice cream so you'd tell me where Tori and Beck are," Jade said in exasperation.

"I don't know where they are!" Cat whined. Alex sat back in her seat with a huff. Jade rolled down Cat's window, then grabbed her ice cream and threw it out, making the car behind them swerve and honk. Cat gaped at her, then stared sadly at her empty cone.

"I feel like you did that on purpose," she said, her voice upset.

"I will buy you another one if you call Tori and find out where she and Beck are," Jade said, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove towards the city.

"If you want to know so bad why don't you call Tori?" Cat asked, turning in her seat.

"Because she won't tell me if I-" Jade began, but then she stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay," she said, pulling over to the side of the road.

"We stopped," Cat said, her brows drawn in worry. "Am I in trouble?"

"Gimme your phone," Jade demanded, holding her hand out for it. Cat dug it out and handed it over. "Restrain her," Jade ordered Alex, and before Cat could escape, Alex wrapped an arm around her face, covering her mouth as Jade dialed Tori's number. Cat let out a little squeak, trying to get away, but Alex didn't move.

"Hiiii!" Jade said in a very good imitation of Cat. Cat turned to look at her with another squeak. "Are you and Beck having fun?" She asked, then listened for a moment as Cat began to struggle again. Jade let out a slightly mocking, but scarily accurate Cat laugh. "So where're you guys right now? Melrose and Lebraya, okaaaay." She paused again, then said "Byeee!"

Alex released Cat, who sat back in her seat, pouting as Jade hung up the phone.

"Melrose and Lebraya here we come," Jade said, merging back into traffic. Cat stared at her incredulously.

"You didn't sound anything like me," Cat said, and Alex chuckled.

"Tori believed it was you," Jade said, shrugging.

"You didn't get my laugh right," Cat said, pouting as she stared back into her empty ice cream cone.

"Yeah I did," Jade said, smirking. "You go ahahahaha."

"That's exactly how you laugh Cat," Alex said, patting the other girl on top of the head.

"I don't laugh like that," she denied, frowning.

"Puppies wearing sunglasses," Jade said in a deadpan tone.

"Ahaha ahaha, dangit," Cat said, realizing she did laugh exactly like that.

"What did they say they were doing?" Alex asked after a couple moments.

"They were at a food truck," Jade said.

"A food truck on Melrose?" Alex asked, naming the part of town that was famous for their cheap, fried food. "Gross."

"I know," Jade said, shaking her head, then growling as the cars in front of them put on the brakes. "God, I hate being stuck in traffic," she said as they came to an almost crawl. "We're going to be late, and we're going to miss Beck and Tori." She pressed the horn down for a few seconds even though it had no effect on how fast they were going.

"Hooooonk!" Cat called, the giggled and looked back at Alex. "I honked, just like the car."

"I heard," Alex said, patting her head again.

"Oh, let's think about all the different kinds of honks there are," Cat said, grinning over at Jade. "I like the one that's like 'meep meep', you know, like how the bird does it in that cartoon."

"The roadrunner?" Jade asked, gripping the wheel tightly.

"No, I didn't like him," Cat said, leaning back in her seat to look out the window. "He was always so mean to that dog."

"That dog, is a coyote," Jade said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh my god, was that racist?" Cat asked, upset for a few seconds, then she went back to looking out the window. Jade pressed on the horn again. A few minutes later, the traffic started to move again.

"Don't you just love how dogs hang their head out the window and lick the wind?" Cat asked, looking over at Jade. Jade ignored her, so Cat turned back to her window, rolled it down, then stuck her head out, panting like a dog.

"Put your head back in the car before I roll up the window and cut it off," Jade ordered angrily. Cat pouted, but did as she was told, sitting back in her seat.

"My head's back in the car," she said, looking at Jade sadly.

"Now, call Tori and find out where Beck's taking her," Jade demanded.

"Bossy," Cat murmured softly.

"What?" Jade asked, obviously having heard.

"I'm calling Tori," Cat said, lifting her phone to her face. "Hiiiii," she said into the phone a moment later, though it sounded sad. "Um, where are you and Beck going?" She listened for a moment. "Um, what, that's so crazy," she held the phone to her chest and looked at Jade in fright. "She's suspicious." Jade grabbed the phone.

"Hiiii Tori," she said, using her Cat voice. "Um, my brother locked me in the closet so I'm really bored and I was just want to know what you guys are doing ahahahaha."

"That's so disrespectful," Cat said, crossing her arms in a pout.

"Oh fun!" Jade said into the phone. "Where is this animal hospital? Aaah Sherman Oaks that's so cool. Ahh! Here comes my brother. Okay byeee!" She hung up the phone, handing it back to Cat.

"So?" Alex asked, leaning forward again.

"Go online and look up animal shelters in Sherman Oaks, right now," Jade ordered Cat.

"Well there's one on Woodman, but it closes at six on the weekends so they're probably going to Petmergency which is on Moorpark, just west of Clearwater," Cat said, playing with a strand of her hair.

"How do you know so much about pet hospitals?" Alex asked after a pause. Cat shrugged.

"My brother has a turtle with special problems," she said, then turned back to the window, completely missing the looks Alex and Jade were giving her.

They drove for another ten minutes before finding the street the animal hospital was on. Jade pulled into a parking spot and Alex was surprised at how crowded it was so late in the day. Jade rushed to the building, Alex and Cat following behind.

Jade burst into the building just as Tori was turning in her seat to talk to a little girl across the room angrily. Alex hesitated before following Jade inside. Beck was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, but he still looked amazing.

"And there they are," Jade said, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. Beck stood to face her as everyone in the room looked up at her.

"Oh man," Tori said, looking fed up.

"Jade," Beck said, surprised. "Alex."

"Things are about to get real," A man holding a glass cage said. Tori stood to face Jade too, ignoring him.

"Wow, Tori and Beck are here," Cat said, acting surprised to see them. "Who'd'a thunk that they'd be- I mean, what a coincidence, aw who'm I kiddin'," she said, walking off to watch from afar. Beck looked at Alex for a moment, eyebrow raised in question. She shrugged, nodding towards Jade to make him think it was all Jade's idea to be here. She would probably tell him why she was there too if he asked, but she didn't think he would. As she looked away from him, she caught Tori's eye. She looked almost… self satisfied to see Alex there.

"Wait," a middle aged black woman said, sliding over a chair closer to Tori and Beck. "That's Jade?"

"Yeah," Tori said, nodding.

"And that's Alex?" She asked, pointing to Alex. Tori nodded.

"Look, guys, I can explain why Beck and I are-" Tori began, but another guy cut her off.

"Oh come on," he said. "How're you gonna explain that you're out on a date with her ex-boyfriend?"

"It's not a date," Beck said, lifting his hands in exasperation, as though they had already explained this to him. Jade just stood there, listening. Alex stood behind her, wishing she wasn't here now. It had been wrong of her to want to spy on them. Jade had said once that Beck had tried to kiss Tori, but she had refused because he was Jade's ex, there was no way that Tori would agree to date him after that. She wasn't mean. Tori was watching her when Alex looked up again, as though she knew something Alex didn't know. Alex narrowed her eyes, not liking the expression, and Tori looked back to Jade.

"They broke up," the black woman said, pointing to Beck and Jade. "Beck has every right to go out with whoever he wants."

"Not really going out," Tori repeated to the woman.

"Hey Beck," the little girl piped up in a sly voice. "Which one of them do you think is prettier?" She asked. Tori glared at her for a moment, then turned to Beck with an eyebrow raised. Jade too turned to look at him, and when he noticed they were actually waiting for an answer, he looked up at Alex, panicked.

"Why don't you go check your mom's pulse," he said to the girl, who turned to the woman beside her who was sleeping against the wall. Alex chuckled, and Tori turned back to her again, mouth twitching up in the corner.

"You have no right to be mad at us cuz Beck and I are only-" Tori said, turning to Jade, who was standing silently. Tori's voice was pleading.

"I'm not," Jade said, interrupting her. Tori paused, surprised, and glanced over at Alex again for some reason. Alex crossed her arms and leaned back against the door as Jade shifted so she was half turned toward Alex and half toward Tori.

"You're not?" Tori asked, confused.

"I'm not mad," Jade repeated, fiddling with her keys as everyone in the waiting room looked surprised.

"Careful," Cat said, jumping to her feet. "It's a trick."

"It's not a trick," Jade said, her face serious. "I… I thought I was mad. But now that I'm here, what- what do I have to be mad about?" She raised her hands, giving a chuckle. "We broke up, we're all friends, kinda. I mean, any of us should be able to hang out with whoever we want."

"Still thinking its a trick," Cat said softly from her seat.

"It's not," Jade insisted.

"You're really okay?" Beck asked, coming to stand in front of Jade, looking down at her.

"Yeah," she said, nodding.

"That's… that's pretty cool," Beck said, giving her a half smile. Alex squeezed her arms tighter around her middle. She wasn't sure that she had seen Beck and Jade interact directly before, and there was definitely still a lingering sense of feelings between them. Both of them had told her, at separate times, that they weren't in love with each other anymore, but that was hard to believe at the moment.

Alex watched them smile at each other for a moment, then turned and snuck out the door to wait outside.

* * *

"So what are you doing for the rest of the night?" Jade asked as they drove up their street.

"I'm going on a run," Alex said shortly, looking out the window.

"Why?" Cat asked from the back seat.

"Because I want to," Alex muttered. She was not in the mood to socialize at all, she just wanted to go on a run, clear her mind, and obsess over what had happened in the last hour. "Why, did you have something planned?" She asked Jade, still not looking at her.

"Your sister got that new horror movie that just came out," Jade said. "We saw her earlier. She invited us to watch it with her."

"Tonight?" Alex asked. "Are you guys staying over?"

"Ooooh a sleepover?" Cat asked, then giggled. "I like sleepovers."

"Then stay over," Alex said, shrugging. "I'm still going on a run. Do whatever you want."

"Yay!" Cat said, clapping her hands as Jade parked her moms car in it's usual spot in the driveway.

Alex left them to change into her running clothes and warn Grace that the others were coming over, then she left the house before they got there.

She ran faster than she usually would, wanting to give her muscles a good workout. The longer she ran the better she could think.

She really wanted to know what Beck had meant to say on Tuesday when she had cut him off. He had said it didn't matter, but he had looked so serious when they were in the janitors closet.

As she ran along her street and turned on to the jogging path that ran parallel to the highway, her mind turned to how upset she had been the last week. She felt emotionally worn out, which wasn't uncommon after she drank too much, but when Beck had walked out of the closet looking so angry and she had been sure he was going to tell her their one night together was something that would never happen again, her heart had physically hurt. She had actually cried, something she tried not to do ever, especially at school. Maybe it was just because she had been so tired that day, and hungover, but somehow she didn't think so.

She pushed herself harder, continuing up the freeway. It was really hard to admit, even if it was just to herself in her head, but her feelings for Beck were long past a crush now. She loved him. She had always loved him in some way, as a friend, a best friend, but this was different.

The thought of him made her feel lighter, his smile made her stomach flip over, and the relief she had felt when he had said that he wasn't mad at her was like a physical weight being lifted off her shoulders. Something as simple as making eye contact with him for a few moments had made her heart beat faster. The way he said her name made her feel short of breath.

The idea of not being with him made her want to curl up in a ball on her bed and never get out of it.

She turned onto another road subconsciously, following the route she drove to school every morning. As she was running past the school parking lot she spotted Beck's car turning in to it from the other direction, and she stopped, walking slowly into the shadows at the end of the parking lot. Tori and Beck both climbed out of the car.

"Thanks for driving me here," Tori said, shutting her door as Alex crept further into the lot. "I can't believe I forgot my backpack. Do you think the doors are unlocked?"

"Maybe," Beck said, walking up to tug on one of them. They didn't open. "Well, Sikowitz's windows are always unlocked."

"Good idea," Tori said, starting around the side of the building. Alex waited till they rounded the corner, then crept silently into the courtyard where they ate lunch, following them across it to their improv classroom windows. Tori climbed inside it, then Beck did. Alex waited for them to leave, not sure she would be able to follow them inside the school, there were too many safety lights in the halls to blend into the shadows. After a few moments, she heard them coming back and she darted into the courtyard, then halfway up the spiral stairs so that she was well hidden.

"You won't tell her will you?" Beck was saying, walking beside Tori who now had her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Of course not," Tori said, shaking her head. "But you should. She definitely likes you."

"I don't think so," Beck said, shrugging.

"Trust me, she does," Tori said, chuckling.

"What do you know?" Beck asked, catching on to something. "Come on, spill Vega."

"Oh no," Tori said, laughing. "I'm not getting into the middle of this."

"You suck," he said, laughing too.

Alex waited until they were out of hearing range, then stood, feeling her heart sinking again. Beck liked someone. Someone Tori knew well enough to know that she liked him back. Tori talked to a lot of people in the school though, so it was hard to narrow down who she might be talking about now.

"Is someone there?" Someone called, and Alex nearly fell down the stairs in shock. She climbed the rest of the way up to the platform, ignoring the pressure in her chest that hadn't been there a moment ago.

"Andre?" She asked, spotting the boy who was wearing some sort of crazy giant green, pear shaped costume. "Robbie?"

"Oh thank god!" Andre cried, waving his arms through the holes in the pear designated for that. "I thought we were going to die up here. Alone. Dressed like fruits."

"What the hell?" Alex asked, walking over to them.

"We fell over and couldn't get up," Robbie explained, wriggling around to show her that he was really stuck.

"So you need help up?" Alex asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes please," he said, holding a hand out for her to lift him.

"Did you hear any of that conversation?" She asked, hoping to blackmail them into silence about her presence there.

"What conversation?" Andre cried, waving his arms around. "Get us up, woman."

"Okay," Alex said, reaching a hand out to grab his arm, then dropping it, making him fall back to the floor. "One condition."

"Anything!" They both shouted, and she chuckled evilly.

"Don't mention I was here at this time," she said. "Don't tell anyone you saw me tonight."

"We won't!" Robbie said. "I swear it!"

"I swear too!" Andre said. "Now please get us up!"

She sighed, then helped them back to their feet and watched them hurry to try to shed their pear shaped outer layers. Soon they were standing in all black, skin tight suits.

"So, what are you doing here?" Andre asked after dusting himself off.

"I was running," Alex said, gesturing to her outfit and rolling her eyes. "And I stopped by to get something I left in my locker, then I thought I heard something so I came up here."

"Running?" He asked, looking her over. "Damn girl, we must be at least ten miles from your house."

"Yeah, so?" She said, crossing her arms, then she frowned. "Wait, how do you know where I live?"

"We know where Jade lives," Robbie said, shrugging as he hopped from foot to foot. "And you live right by her, she said."

"What's wrong with you?" Alex asked, watching him jump around.

"I really need to pee," he said, his voice high.

"Then go, idiot," she said, pointing to the stairs. "Sikowitz's windows aren't locked." They both thanked her, then quickly ran off. She shook her head, kicking aside the pear costumes to walk down the staircase and begin her run back to her house.

When she got back the others were all asleep on the couch, which she thought was a miracle seeing as how the horror movie they had been watching was on a looping title screen where the main girl was screaming and getting chased by something in the woods. Alex flipped the TV off, then went up the stairs to her own room.


	7. Chapter 7

Hiiiii again. Thank you for all the reviews I've been getting from you guys, I love them :)

The songs mentioned this chapter are Ophelia by The Lumineers, and Stand By You by Rachel Platten

* * *

Chapter Seven

"Hey hey," Tori said, sliding to lean against the lockers next to Alex's. Alex looked at her for a moment, then went back to scribbling the notes in her head onto the front of her locker as she had been doing for the last ten minutes. The warning bell that told them classes would be starting soon hadn't rung yet. Jade's mother had gotten the girl a new car, presented on Saturday night. Well, not a new one, but it ran and it was sort of nice, so Jade was driving herself to school now. Alex, knowing she didn't have to wait for Jade, had arrived at school quite a bit earlier than normal, and she hadn't said a word to anyone yet. She didn't want to start with Tori. And she wanted to get the idea for a new song that had been bouncing around her head all morning out onto paper.

"Anyway," Tori said, not seeming to be put off by Alex's ignorance. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house today after school."

"We have rehearsals," Alex muttered, finishing off the line of notes. She unrolled the scroll of staff paper, carefully ripped it off, then clipped the new end onto the roll she had rigged up for it.

"Not tonight," Tori said happily as Alex tucked the roll of paper into her bag. "I just came from Sikowitz's and he said it's cancelled because he has tickets to some musical that's being put on at UCLA."

"Wonderful," Alex said sarcastically, then finally had to turn towards Tori when she ran out of things at her locker to procrastinate with. "Why would I want to go over to your house?"

"We are all going to play cards," Tori said, grinning. "Poker probably."

"Pass," Alex said, walking past the girl.

"Oh come on," Tori said, following after her. "It'll be fun!"

"You and I have very different definitions of fun," Alex said dryly, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "We also don't have the same class right now so go away."

"Please come over," Tori asked again, and Alex turned back to her.

"Give me one good reason," Alex said, trying to figure out why the other girl was so desperate for her to come over.

"Well," Tori said, frowning in thought. "I guess I just really don't know you that well and I want to change that."

"Pass," Alex said again, her voice flat. Then she had a sudden thought. Over the weekend she had decided to give up, well, sort of, on Beck. The conversation she had overheard Friday night had hurt, and she hated that feeling. She had decided that the best way to avoid getting more hurt was to not hope anymore, which meant that she had to accept that Beck was going to be with someone else. It had taken quite a bit of running that weekend for her to come to that decision.

But. But Tori was inviting her to a group event sort of thing. Tori knew who Beck liked. Maybe if Alex went, she could talk to Tori. Or threaten her maybe. Tori had been chattering about something else that Alex hadn't listened to, trying to convince her.

"Okay," Alex siad, cutting her off. "What time?"

"Really?" Tori asked, surprised then excited.

"I just said okay," Alex said, rolling her eyes. The bell rang overhead to announce that classes started in three minutes.

"Okay," Tori said, grinning. "See you at five."

"Joy," Alex said in a deadpan voice, then she turned to go into her Physics classroom.

* * *

"I better get going," Andre said, throwing down his cards. They had been at Tori's for nearly two hours playing Poker. Alex was terrible at it, probably because she had never played before. She hadn't said a word to any of them the whole night that didn't have to do with the game. She had finally given up after the last hand, and had wandered over to the piano. She had been playing soft, easy tunes while the others continued their game and she tried to watch Beck without him noticing.

"What, already?" Tori asked, looking disappointed.

"I have an assignment in songwriting to work on," he said, leaning back in his chair. Alex rolled her eyes at the thought. Their teacher for that class had started off really good, giving them creative assignments. But now, after three months of class, it seemed he had run out of things to assign them. Today he had announced their dumbest homework yet.

"What's the assignment?" Robbie asked, laying his cards down too.

"Write a song based off a word we drew in class," Andre said, shrugging. "The only rules were that it has to be an original song that we haven't performed before."

"What's your word?" Tori asked, eagerly.

"The name Ophelia," Andre said, slouching back in his chair.

"That's a pretty name," Cat said, giggling. "One time my brother had a girlfriend named Ophelia. She was from Egypt."

"That's nice," Andre said dismissively.

"She only had four fingers on her right hand," Cat said, holding her hand up and tucking her thumb across her palm. She giggled as the others stared at her.

"Anyway," Andre said, shaking his head. "I have no idea what I'm going to do."

"The name Ophelia means 'help'," Alex chimed up from the piano. The others looked over at her, probably have forgotten she was still there. She ignored them, her hands shifting to play out a few chords.

"Yeah well that doesn't 'help' me," Andre said, frowning. Alex rolled her eyes, playing out another couple chords.

"What was your word, Alex," Beck asked. Alex glanced up at him, meeting his eyes for half a second, then looking back at the piano.

"That's right," Tori said, making her forehead. "You are both in that class."

"My word was 'support'," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "It's a stupid assignment."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do for it?" Andre asked, sitting up a little.

"No," Alex said, frowning. "Though I'm a little tempted to write a song about bras so that he will realize how dumb this assignment is." Tori, Cat, and Jade chuckled, while the boys looked a little awkward.

"I think a song about bras would be fun," Cat said, giggling.

"Of course you do," Jade said dryly. "You think everything is fun."

"What am I going to do about my song?" Andre asked, putting his head in his hands.

"Well, you could write it like a general 'love' song to a girl, just putting the name Ophelia in," Tori suggested, and Andre looked up.

"That could work," Andre said thoughtfully. Alex swiped her hand over the keys from low to high notes, making them all look over at her. Then she began to play an upbeat, very simple chord progression.

 _"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug. Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love_ ," she sang, looking down at the piano. She continued playing through, but she didn't have any more words to go with it, but Andre was nodding and getting to his feet to come over to her.

"Yeah, I like that," Andre said, moving to sit beside her on the bench. She showed him the chords she had played, then moved over to let him continue playing them. "Can I use that?"

"Well I'm not going to," Alex said, rolling her eyes. Andre grinned at her, then played through what she had given him again, singing the words she had.

"This is good," Andre said again. "I'm going to go work on it. Thanks Alex." She raised her hand in acknowledgment of his words, then turned back to the piano as he grabbed his things and said bye to the others. She plucked out another tune as they began another round of poker.

Half an hour later, she stood from the piano and stretched her arms above her head.

"Don't you want to go work on your assignment too?" Tori asked as Alex came back to her chair. "We have rehearsals all this week, it might be the only time you can."

"I just finished it," Alex said, shrugging.

"What?" Tori asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I just wrote the song I'm going to turn in," Alex said slowly, as though Tori was a very stupid child.

"I didn't hear you writing a song," Cat said, twisting a strand of hair around her fingers.

"Well the nice thing about thinking is that no one else hears it," Alex said sarcastically.

"Shouldn't you spend more than half an hour on an assignment like that?" Robbie asked, and Alex narrowed her eyes. "Well, I just mean, if you get too many bad grades you'll get kicked out."

Alex snorted at that, and Beck also chuckled. When the others looked at him curiously he just shrugged.

"Alex hasn't ever gotten anything below an A," he explained. "At least, not up to middle school."

"Not in high school either," Alex said, shrugging. "School is easy."

"I think it helps that you have a crazy accurate memory," Beck said, sliding some jelly beans into the middle of the table. "I see your four reds and raise you three yellows."

"I'm out," Robbie said, and Tori nodded, setting her cards down too.

"I have a normal memory," Alex argued back, but just for the sake of arguing. Truthfully, she did remember things a lot longer than other people seemed to.

"So, lets hear your song then," Tori said, leaning back in her chair.

"Pass," Alex said, stealing two jelly beans from Cat's collection of them and popping them into her mouth.

"I wouldn't eat those," Beck said, chuckling. Alex just shrugged and chewed them as Cat pouted at her.

"I'm out," Jade said, setting her cards down.

"I win then," Beck said, collecting the pile in the middle of the table.

"Pleaseeee," Tori begged, looking up at Alex.

"She only wants to hear it because she thinks that spending half an hour on a song means it'll be bad," Jade said dryly, smirking over at Tori.

"I don't think it'll be bad," Tori protested, but she did look a little guilty.

"Fine," Alex said, standing to go back to the piano.

"Yay!" Cat said, clapping her hands. Alex took a deep breath, recalling the melody she had come up with just a little while ago. She began to play and the others quieted, gathering around the piano.

 _"Hands, put your empty hands in mine._

 _And scars, show me all the scars you hide._

 _And hey, if your wings are broken,_

 _Please take mine so you're can open, too,_

 _'Cause I'm gonna stand by you."_

She closed her eyes as her fingers automatically played the song. She didn't see the looks exchanged between the others, but all of them looked surprised.

 _"Oh, tears, make kaleidoscopes in your eyes,_

 _And hurt, I know you're hurting, but so am I,_

 _And, love, if your wings are broken_

 _Borrow mine 'til yours can open, too,_

 _'Cause I'm gonna stand by you._

She opened her eyes, smiling a little, and her eyes met Beck's as he stood at the back of the group at the end of the piano. He smiled at her, and her heart flipped over in her chest for a moment. She looked down at the keys.

 _"Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through_

 _Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you_

 _Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you_

 _Even if we can't find heaven, I'm gonna stand by you_

 _Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you_

 _Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you."_

As she started the next verse, she looked back up at Beck, trying to compel him to listen to the words she was saying. She hadn't written them specifically for him, they had just sounded good when she was thinking of lyrics, but right now they felt like they were for him.

 _"Yeah, you're all I never knew I needed_

 _And the heart—sometimes it's unclear why it's beating_

 _And, love, if your wings are broken_

 _We can brave through those emotions, too_

 _'Cause I'm gonna stand by you._

 _Oh, truth—I guess truth is what you believe in_

 _And faith—I think faith is having a reason_

 _And I know now, love, if your wings are broken_

 _Borrow mine 'til yours can open, too_

 _'Cause I'm gonna stand by you."_

She sang through the chorus again, watching the expressions on the other's faces. Tori was dancing a little, enjoying the music, and Alex smiled. It was always a nice feeling when someone liked her music. She slowed the music down for the last verse.

 _"I'll be your eyes 'til yours can shine_

 _And I'll be your arms, I'll be your steady satellite_

 _And when you can't rise, well, I'll crawl with you on hands and knees_

 _'Cause I... I'm gonna stand by you."_

She sang through the chorus again, letting the music calm down for the end of the song. When she was done, the others applauded and whooped, and Alex let out a genuine smile.

"That was… really good," Tori said when they stopped clapping. "You really wrote that in half an hour?"

"Well, the music was something I came up with last week sometime," Alex said, reaching into her bag to unroll the staff paper covered in pencil marking she had taken down that morning. "I made it a little more upbeat than I had originally imagined it."

"That was weirdly optimistic," Jade said. "You know… for you."

"I liked it," Cat said, clapping her hands together a couple times.

"Me too," Robbie said, nodding enthusiastically.

"Great, well now that you are all done giving me opinions I didn't ask for, I'm gonna go home," Alex said, standing.

"I need to get going too," Beck said, his eyes following Alex as she stood.

"Me too," Robbie said. "I have a tech 4 test to study for."

"Wait, Alex," Tori said, speaking up as everyone go trade to leave. "Could you help me with something?"

"What?" Alex asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Tori focused over Alex's shoulder for a moment, raising an eyebrow at someone. Alex turned to see Beck shaking his head a little. When he saw she was watching, he lifted a hand to wave goodbye, then headed to the door.

"Just a project I have for my R&B vocals class," Tori said, watching as Cat shut the door.

"What do you need?" Alex asked, sighing as she dropped her bag. Tori looked surprised that Alex had actually agreed to helping without an argument. She glanced around to make sure the others were gone, then grinned.

"Okay, I don't actually need help," Tori said, and Alex bent to pick up her bag again, intending to leave. "No wait, I just wanted to talk to you."

"That's nice," Alex said, taking a couple steps toward the door. "Bye."

"It's about Beck," Tori said, and Alex stopped immediately, turning back to her. Tori grinned, as though she had expected that. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Alex asked, frowning.

"You like Beck," Tori said, and Alex immediately became defensive, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

"He's my best friend," Alex said, frowning.

"But you liiiike him," Tori teased, grinning.

"Yes, as a friend," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Suuure," Tori said, still smiling widely.

"Look, Tori," Ales said, sighing. "It doesn't matter what I think. I know he likes someone else."

"What?" Tori asked, surprised.

"I overheard you talking at the school Friday night," Alex admitted. "I was on a run and I saw you guys pulling into the parking lot, so I… listened in."

"And you heard him say that he likes someone else?" Tori asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I heard you saying that you think she likes him back," Alex said, then raised her hands to keep Tori from talking. "Look, it's okay. He can like whoever he wants. I don't care."

"Do you know who it is?" Tori asked, her eyes sparking with a new idea.

"I don't care," Alex said. "It's not any of my business."

"You should watch him," Tori said seriously, no longer teasing. "You will be able to figure it out pretty easily."

"You know," Alex said, equally serious. "I don't really want to know who it is."

"Just do it," Tori urged. "Everything is going to work out fine."

"Tori," Alex began, intending to say something rude, but she was swept over by exhaustion and changed her mind. "Look, thanks for… whatever you are trying to do, but please just stay out of it."

"Okay," Tori agreed, surprising Alex. "Just… think about it, okay?"

"Fine," Alex said, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder. "Bye."

"Bye," Tori called, and Alex left the house.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello again. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, you guys make my day.

Songs used this chapter: Rock Bottom by Hailee Seinfeld

* * *

Chapter Eight

Despite her words to Tori, Alex did spend the rest of the week watching Beck, though that was more of a subconscious action.

The weird thing was that she didn't see anything about him that gave her any indication of who he liked. He didn't spend any excess amounts of time with anyone, it seemed, and he didn't really pay specific attention to anyone.

They had reached the part of their script in rehearsals where Alex as the Princess, was kidnapped from her 'Prince' fiance so she had very few lines and there were a lot of fight scenes.

She watched the boys have way too much fun practicing their sword fighting scenes, and she had to admit it was amusing to see them all acting like children, Beck included.

Every time they figured out a better way to present the fight so that it looked more realistic, Sikowitz would applaud, and Beck would look over at Alex where she was sitting in the audience and grin as though he was showing off. Then Tori, who for some reason had chosen to sit next to her, would elbow Alex lightly and nod toward the front of the room.

Maybe if Alex hadn't been so set in her denial, she would have realized it sooner, but it took her nearly three days of this to see it.

Her realization came on Thursday evening as rehearsals were wrapping up for the day. They were at the part of the play where they find out that the farm boy is actually the pirate, and that he is in fact alive.

"I told you I would always come for you," he quoted to her, not looking down at the script in his hands. Alex met his eyes, something she had been avoiding for the last couple days as she tried to convince herself she didn't like him.

"Well, you were dead," Alex said after a moment too long. He didn't drop his eyes from hers once and her pulse picked up in her chest, pounding against her ribs.

"Death cannot stop true love," he said, his voice soft. "All it can do is delay it for a while."

"I will never doubt again," Alex said, looking up at him as he stepped toward her and reached up to cup her cheek.

"There will never be a need," he said softly, then leaned forward and kissed her. She pulled away after just a second, not wanting him to notice how fast her heart was beating. They had done that scene four times today, but this time felt different.

"Good, good," Sikowitz said, jumping up from his chair. "Much better." Alex turned to face him, keeping her face straight, but she noticed Beck lingering for a moment longer. "That's all for today. See you children tomorrow!"

"We have the the Full Moon Jam tomorrow though," Tori chimed up from her seat in the audience.

"Right," Sikowitz said, scratching his head for a moment. "See you Monday then."

"Tori," Alex said quietly, resting a hand on the other girls arm for a second. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Tori said, looking slightly afraid. Alex had never before willingly talked to her. They waited for the others to leave, then Alex not-so-gently dragged her to the janitors closet and turned, blocking the door.

"Tell me what Beck told you," Alex demanded quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know what you-" Tori began, laughing nervously.

"Last Friday," Alex said. "He told you he likes someone. Who?"

"I promised not to tell," Tori said regretfully. "I'm sorry."

"Okay," Alex said, her palms sweating a little as she forced herself to ask. "If I guess will you tell me?"

"I can't," Tori said, shaking her head. "I promised."

"Is it me?" Alex asked, her voice almost a whisper. Tori didn't say anything, but her face gave it away.

"I didn't say anything!" Tori said quickly when Alex nodded. "Are you going to tell him you know?"

"Are you kidding?" Alex asked, her voice not hiding her excitement. Tori blinked, then smiled a little. "I have an idea. He's going to the Full Moon Jam tomorrow right?" Tori's face fell again.

"Oh," Tori said. "Yeah, but…"

"But what?" Alex asked, already planning.

"Well, he sort of… has a date," Tori said. Alex stared at her blankly, not understanding. "He's bringing Meredith, that girl from our history class. She asked him and… I thought you knew, it's been like four days since he agreed."

"Oh," Alex said, clenching her fists at her sides. She took a deep breath in, then turned and walked out of the closet, slamming the door behind her. In the parking lot, she stalked straight up to where Beck was talking to Andre, and dragged him away mid conversation.

"Hey, what's up with-" he began when she finally pulled him to a stop.

"You have a date tomorrow night?" She asked, glaring at him.

"Uh, well, yeah," he said, confused. "Why?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded, poking him in the chest.

"Tell you… that I had a date?" Beck asked, deliberately obtuse. She huffed.

"Yes," Alex said, her voice low.

"I didn't know I had to," Beck said, crossing his arms now. "Do you want me to run everything I do by you now?"

"That's not what I said," Alex said, her voice raising now. "I just thought- never mind. Do whatever you want."

"Fine," he said, sounding half confused half irritated. She shook her head and walked away quickly.

If Tori's face hadn't told Alex that her guess during rehearsal had been right, she would be second guessing herself right now, but instead she was just angry. Tori had as good as said that Beck liked her. Why wasn't he going to do anything about it? Did he not care enough about her to put effort into this? He would just go out with the first girl to ask him out?

Oh. Maybe that was the problem. Hadn't Alex decided to give up on whatever this was before it started too? Maybe she had to be the one to make the first move.

She sat in her car in the driveway for quite a while after turning her car off, trying to think of the best way to go about telling him. Finally she gave up thinking and went inside.

"I was wondering if you were planning on living in the car," Grace said as Alex walked in the door.

"Grace," Alex began slowly, toeing off her shoes. "What's the best way to tell someone something?"

"You will have to be more specific than that," Grace said, chuckling as she took a seat on the couch. She was holding a cup of tea between her hands, and Alex walked over to sit next to her, taking the tea from her. "For example, if you had wanted the tea, you could have asked for it nicely."

"Hypothetically," Alex began, ignoring her sister. "If you liked someone who liked you back but both of you had given up on the relationship without telling the other about your feelings, how would you go about telling this other person, who may or may not already have a date with someone else, that you want to try… having something?"

"Hm," Grace said, her eyes twinkling. "Well if this is you in this situation, I'd say to write them a song."

"Write them a song…" Alex repeated thoughtfully. She had been planning a song for the next night, but then she had found out about Beck's date and changed her mind almost immediately. "There's a Full Moon Jam tomorrow night at school."

"Perfect," Grace said, smiling.

"But he's bringing a date," Alex continued, frowning into her tea.

"Do it anyway," Grace said. "What if he decides he really likes this new girl and you never gave him the option to choose you?"

"Yeah," Alex said slowly, nodding, then sipping the tea. "That could work."

"Great," Grace said, taking the tea back. "Go get writing."

"I'm going on a run," Alex said, ignoring Grace again as she got to her feet.

"Good luck," Grace said, chuckling as Alex ran up the stairs to change.

* * *

"Andre, you're MCing this right?" Alex asked the next night. There was already quite a crowd in the courtyard, people had been setting up lawn chairs and blankets for the last half hour.

"Yeah," Andre said, gesturing to something a freshman was supposed to be doing as Alex followed him around the sound table. "What's up?"

"I want to sing something," Alex said, watching him double checking the sound board. He looked up at her, exasperatedly.

"Sign ups have been closed for a week," he said, shaking his head. "You can't just add something, we have the whole show planned out."

"Please?" She asked, much nicer than she usually was when she wanted something. "It's… it's really important."

"She can take my spot," Jade said from behind Alex. Alex and Andre both turned to stare at her for a moment.

"Really?" Alex asked. Jade was singing tonight because it was required for one of her classes.

"Yeah," Jade said, shrugging. "I'll do mine later."

"Please, Andre?" Alex said again, and Andre looked between them for a moment, then nodded.

"You're on in about half an hour," he said with a sigh, taking a clipboard with the set list on it and scribbling over Jade's name.

"Come with me," Jade said, dragging Alex away from the stage and into the school.

"What?" Alex asked when they finally stopped inside the janitors closet.

"I've been mad about Meredith all week," Jade began. "Because that little gank has liked him for years."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Alex asked, not sure where this was going.

"Tori told me what's been going on with you and Beck," Jade said, then sighed.

"She did?" Alex asked, surprised. "She wouldn't tell me anything."

"I forced her," Jade said, shrugging. "But my point now is that I'm okay with this. All of it. I know I've said it before, but I was lying last time. This time, I promise that I won't get mad when you and Beck start dating."

"I… thanks," Alex said, not sure what else to say.

"Now lets get you dressed," Jade said, opening to door to the dressing rooms behind the theater where Tori was already sifting through racks of clothes.

"I am dressed," Alex said, looking down at her usual dark jeans and tank top.

"You are about to sing a song to Beck," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "You need to look as hot as possible."

Jade and Tori argued for nearly ten minutes over what outfit Alex should wear to sing. They had quite a few options from the costume room, but Alex wanted to look normal.

In the end she was stuffed into a black skirt, a blood red tank top, and heels. Her makeup was done by Cat, who had been taking a special effects makeup class, but thankfully was able to do it normally too.

"So what song are you singing?" Tori asked as they rushed through the halls back to the stage.

"Something I wrote last night," Alex said. "It's called Rock Bottom."

"That doesn't sound very nice," Cat said, following behind them. The other girls had filled Cat in on what was going on, and though she continuously told Alex that Jade's profession of 'being okay with this all' was a trick, she also said that Alex and Beck would be cute together.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Alex whispered to Jade as they stood at the side of the stage, waiting for the person before Alex to finish.

"Shut up," Jade said, punching her arm a little too hard. "You are doing this right now."

"What if he actually likes Meredith though?" She asked, trying to run through her mental list of excuses to not do this.

"It's his first date with that gank," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "He's known you for his entire life."

"That doesn't mean he will pick me over her," Alex said, her hands shaking a little. "She's really pretty."

"You're prettier," Cat chimed up from behind them.

"I don't mean to be a baby about this," Alex said, turning to face them. "I'm just nervous."

"It's okay," Cat said, patting her shoulder, and for once Alex didn't care that the other girl was touching her without permission. "I get nervous all the time too."

"Thanks," Alex said, slightly sarcastic.

"Okay, you're up," Andre said, walking off the stage and handing her a microphone. She took it, nodded to him, then climbed onto the stage. She had already given him the thumb drive with the background music she had recorded the previous night.

She spotted Beck in the audience immediately, standing near the drink table with Tori, who looked almost relieved for some reason. Alex met his eyes as the music began, and took a deep breath.

 _"What are we fighting for?_

 _Seems like we do it just for fun_

 _In this, this stupid war_

 _We play hard with our plastic guns"_

She held his eyes as she sang softly into the microphone, and she could tell he was really listening.

 _"Breathe deep, bottle it up_

 _So deep until it's all we got_

 _Don't speak, just use your touch_

 _Don't speak before we say too much"_

She raised her voice as the music built up, and started to move a little to the music, really getting into it. She never lost eye contact with Beck as he took a couple steps closer to the stage. She couldn't tell what he though about the song, but he didn't look upset. Alex breathed in, her heart skipping a beat at her next words.

 _"You hate me now and I feel the same way_

 _You love me now and I feel the same way_

 _We scream and we shout_

 _And make up the same day, same day"_

Finally the beat kicked in, and she could see people dancing a little between their seats as they had for the other singers, though most of them were just swaying. She walked over to the side of the stage that Beck was on to sing the chorus.

 _"Oh, we're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And I hope that we keep falling_

 _We're on the good side of bad karma_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _We're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And to you I just keep crawling_

 _You're the best kind of bad something_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more"_

 _You get under my skin_

 _More than anyone's ever been_

 _But when we lay in bed_

 _You hold me harder till I forget that_

 _You hate me now and I feel the same way_

 _You love me now and I feel the same way_

 _We scream and we shout_

 _And make up the same day, same day_

 _Oh, we're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And I hope that we keep falling_

 _We're on the good side of bad karma_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _We're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And to you I just keep crawling_

 _You're the best kind of bad something_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _Keep on coming back for more_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more"_

The music slowed again and she sang the next verse nearly a cappella.

 _"What are we fighting for?_

 _Seems like we do it just for fun_

 _In this, this stupid war_

 _We play hard with our plastic guns"_

The crowd cheered when the music kicked back in, and Alex turned all her attention to the mic, walking across the stage.

 _"Oh, we're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And I hope that we keep falling_

 _We're on the good side of bad karma_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _We're on the right side of rock bottom_

 _And to you I just keep crawling_

 _You're the best kind of bad something_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _Keep on coming back for more_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more_

 _Keep on coming back for more_

 _Cause we keep on coming back for more"_

When the song was finished, she stood, breathing heavily for a moment, then left the stage to much applause. She handed the mic to the next person, then went back inside the school, trying to keep her mind from telling her this had been a mistake. She should have written a more obvious song, or more obvious lyrics, but all she could think about the previous night on her run was how much she had hated him when he had moved away, and how she always had trouble controlling her temper when it came to him. She had second guessed herself for a long time, wondering if she actually did love him if she was always getting mad at him. That song and been the result, but what if he hadn't liked it?

She had been pacing the hallway while she worried, but her path was cut off suddenly as she rounded the corner again. She bumped straight into Beck's chest, and he reached out automatically to steady her as she stumbled backwards.

"Um, hi," she said after a moment of silence.

"Hey," he said, amused.

"Soooo," she said when he didn't say anything else. He took a step forward and she stepped back automatically, her back coming into contact with the cool brick walls of the school and she looked up at him, holding her breath.

"So," was his response, and he lifted a hand to the side of her face. She leaned into it a little, still looking up at him as he leaned down to her. Her eyes drifted closed right before their lips met, and her arms went around his neck to pull him in to her further. His other hand came up to cup the back of her head, making sure it didn't hit the brick as she tilted it back to kiss him better.

Neither of them were drunk this time, and Alex felt her heart beating against her chest again, but this time she could feel his too, his chest pressed up against hers tightly. The hand on her face dropped to wrap around her waist, pulling her against him.

"Finally!" The voice broke through Alex's complete and total bliss, and she momentarily hated whoever had spoken for interrupting them. Beck looked over at the speaker, but he didn't let her go, keeping his arm around her as she looked over too.

"Go away Tori," Alex said, turning back to look up into Beck's face as he looked down at her, mouth pulled up in a half smile. "We are busy."

"I see that," Tori said, clearing her throat. "But there's some guy outside who wants to talk to you."

"I don't care," Alex said, not turning away from Beck. He looked amused now, but she didn't lower her arms.

"He looks really important," Tori insisted. "He's in a suit and everything."

"I don't care," Alex repeated, smiling a little now as Beck continued to meet her eyes. He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled a little wider.

"Okay," Tori said slowly. "But-"

"God dammit Tori," Alex said, finally pulling away from Beck. "Get out of here before I rip out your hair and strangle you with it."

"Sorry!" Tori squeaked, practically running from the hallway.

"You should go see what she was talking about," Beck said after a moment.

"I can think of things I'd rather be doing," she said, trying to stay angry at Tori, but her entire body felt like she could fly right then, if she wanted to. She wrapped her arms back around his shoulders, and his hands went to her hips automatically.

"Like what?" He asked, lips twitching up at the corners. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly. He responded in kind, keeping their kiss sweet for a long time, but eventually he pulled away. "Come on," he said, holding his hand out to her. She took it, grinning.

"What about Meredith?" Alex asked as they left the building.

"What about her?" Beck asked, chuckling.

"I mean, aren't you sort of on a date with her right now?" Alex asked, glancing over at him. He was looking at her as they walked.

"No," Beck said, smiling. "That whole thing was Tori's idea."

"Wait, what?" Alex asked, pulling him to a stop before they rounded the corner back into the courtyard. They could hear the music as someone else started singing on stage.

"After I told Tori I liked you," he began, and Alex's mouth automatically tipped up into a smile at the words. "She insisted that you liked me too, but I didn't believe her. So she suggested I go out on a date with someone else to make you jealous enough that you would say something to me about it." Alex's mouth dropped open in shock. "Tori said that if you liked me, you would definitely get mad, and if you didn't then we would know for sure."

"So you were just trying to make me jealous?" She asked slowly, trying to understand.

"When you got mad at me yesterday I called it off with Meredith," Beck said, smiling down at her. "If you didn't say something tonight, I was going to."

"I hate you," she said, but she was laughing as she hit his arm.

"Liar," her said, grinning. "Let's go enjoy the rest of the show."

"Okay," she said, reveling in the fact that he was still holding her hand tightly as they walked back to the crowd. They only walked for a couple seconds before Beck pulled her to a stop.

"Hey, isn't that… your dad?" He asked, looking towards the parking lot. Alex looked around, frowning, and saw what Beck was looking at. It was her dad, dressed in his usual suit, and looking over the group of young people with disdain.

"I wonder what he's doing here," Alex said, watching him for a moment. "I should go see what he wants."

"Do you want me to come with?" Beck asked, squeezing her hand.

"I really don't want to let you out of my sight right now," Alex admitted, looking up at him. "You might disappear."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, giving her a slow smile.

"That's such a cheesy line," she said, but she was smiling too. "Go mingle, I'll be right back."

"Okay," he said, dropping her hand, which immediately felt cold. She turned to go. "Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning back to him. He leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"That's it," he said, giving her a little push towards the parking lot. She grinned as she turned to go. When she glanced back as she reached the other side of the crowd, he was still watching her, though he also seemed to be talking to Tori and the rest of the group minus Andre who was announcing the next singer.

"Dad," she said carefully as she approached him. He was talking on the phone in a low voice, and held up one finger toward her to indicate he would be done in a moment.

Their last conversation had gone downhill at the end, when he had practically begged her and Grace to come back to Seattle and live with their mother. Apparently when she got really into her projects, she forgot to do things like eat or drink water. He had found her passed out in her study a few weeks ago. Of course, Alex could have told him she did that, she'd done it for years. Grace and Alex had been the ones to make food and be sure she got some of it. Maybe if her dad didn't spend literally every second at work, he might have noticed it earlier, and she had told him so right before hanging up the phone.

"Alexandra," he said when the phone was back in his pocked, and she sighed at the use of her full name. She hated it, but both her parents insisted on using it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, making her voice curious so he wouldn't get offended.

"I went to the house to see you but Grace said you were at school," he said, frowning over her head at the gathering of people.

"Yeah, it's the Full Moon Jam tonight, and I sang," she said, wishing she was wearing her jeans so she could tuck her hands into the pockets, just for something to do. This was probably the longest conversation they'd had in person in the last two years.

"I heard," he said, grimacing a little. She frowned but stayed silent, not wanting to start up the usual argument about her music. He did it for her though. "Anyway, it's become clear to me that this music thing is something you aren't going to give up even though it has such a low success rate and no reliable income."

"I have enough income to pay for this school, the house, and my car," Alex said defensively.

"I have a friend who's a music producer who owes me a favor," he said grudgingly, ignoring her words. "That's why I'm here. He said he will meet you and listen to a demo, and if it's any good, he will sign you to their label."

"What?" Alex asked, her eyes wide as she stared at him. A producer wanted to meet her?

"His office is in Seattle," her dad continued, looking almost bored. "You can stay with us when you come up."

"Wait," Alex said, holding her hands up."I have school, I can't just leave whenever I want."

"I'm sure you can miss a few days," he said, crossing his arms.

"But…" Alex said, trailing off. "If I sign to a label in Seattle wouldn't I need to move…" She gasped, staring up at him angrily. "No," she said angrily.

"This is an opportunity you aren't going to get again, Alex," he said, frowning at her. "I called in favors to get you this meeting."

"Because you want someone at home to babysit mom so you can go to work and pretend she doesn't exist," she accused, snorting, then she narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean I won't get this opportunity again?"

"The likelihood of you succeeding in this… hobby of yours is about one in a million," he said, stepping towards her.

"You think I need you to call in favors from your friends to be successful?" She yelled, her voice rising over the music. A few people nearby glanced at them.

"Don't make a scene, Alex," he said, dropping his hands to his sides.

"I'm good enough to get signed without your help," she said, her voice only a little lower than before. "If you didn't want to take care of mom you shouldn't have married her. And if you didn't work all the time maybe you would have noticed that she needed help before now."

"Alex, this is the only chance you are ever going to get. If you insist on doing this nonsense you have to accept the only up you are going to get," he demanded, his voice low.

"No," Alex said immediately, stepping back a little. "I can do it on my own."

"And what's your plan for when you fail? Come back and live off your sister or your mother and I forever?" He asked crossly. "This is the only time I'm doing favors for you. You don't have a choice." Alex laughed loudly, not even noticing that the music had quieted and people were staring at them.

"I do have a choice," Alex said, glaring at him. "I refuse, and there isn't anything you can do about it."

"If you don't come back to your family now you won't have one to come back to anymore," he threatened, and Alex laughed again.

"I don't need a family," she said. "I don't need you, or anybody else. Go fuck yourself."

"Fine," he said quietly. "If that's what you want. Don't contact me when you're broke and living on the streets doing cocaine."

"Like you would even notice if I called," she said sarcastically. She spun around, intending to march away, but was confronted with dozens of staring eyes. "What are you looking at?" She yelled at them, and they hurried to go about their business, the music starting up moments later, and Alex escaped to the parking lot, hiding between cars until she saw her father pull out of the lot.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her back. She had found a cement parking block to sit on behind one of the cars, and she had her head in her hands, but her eyes were dry. She felt no different after being told she was disowned than she had before. No, that was a lie. She had been blissfully happy moments ago, now she was frowning at the ground. She looked up, already knowing that it would be Beck there.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his hand squeezing her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"You can talk to me," he said gently.

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. "I don't need to talk about anything."

"Right," Beck said, retracting his hand. The hurt tone of his voice made her look up. "Because you don't need anyone."

"I…" She started, not sure what she was meaning to say, and finally her eyes overflowed. She tucked her head back into her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm making a mess of everything." She heard him shift and thought he was leaving, but he sat beside her, his thigh pressing right up against hers, and his arm going around her shoulders to pull her against him. She leaned in to him immediately, arms wrapping around his neck as she cried into his shirt. His free hand ran up and down her arm, soothing her.

After a few minutes they could hear Andre announcing the end of the Full Moon Jam.

"Come back to my place?" Beck offered, knowing that any moment the parking lot would be flooded with people. Alex nodded against him, and he stood, pulling her up with him. His car was nearby, only four spaces over, and Alex didn't care that they were leaving her car there, she climbed into the passenger's seat, silently wiping her fingers under her eyes in an attempt to fix the makeup she knew would be running there.

When they got to his house, he met her at her door, wrapping an arm around her waist as he walked them to his RV, then locked the door shut behind them.

"I didn't mean you," Alex finally said, clearing her throat. "When I said I didn't need anyone. I was just mad."

"I get it," Beck said, pulling her towards the bed and pushing her down so she was sitting. "You don't want to have to need anyone."

"I…" She began, but he was exactly right. She didn't want to depend on anyone but herself. That's how it had been since she was old enough to realize that other people were disappointing.

"Hush," he said, sitting next to her on the bed. "It's alright." He linked their hands together and she leaned her head onto his shoulder, relaxing against him.

"Do we need to talk about... this?" She asked, lifting their linked hands a little.

"Not right now," he said softly, kissing the stop of her head.

"What are we doing right now then?" Alex asked, her eyes drifting closed in exhaustion.

"Sleeping," Beck said, and she opened her eyes again.

"Together?" She asked, a little nervous.

"We've done it before," he said, chuckling as he got to his feet.

"Not sober," she said, eyes following him as he took off his jacket.

"So I just imagined all those sleep overs then?" He asked, grinning at her, and she had to smile back.

"This is different," she said, standing too and twisting her hands together in front of her in an unconscious nervous gesture. He walked over to her, grabbing them to stop their motion.

"Why is this different?" He asked, gripping her hands, and suddenly she was embarrassed and couldn't look him in the eye.

"Because…" she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I like you now."

"You know, I think I noticed that last time," he said, his voice light. She leaned forward to push him with her shoulder since he was still holding her hands between them. He dropped them at her movement, wrapping them around her waist and pulling her against him. "Come on, we are sleeping. Just sleeping, nothing else. It'll be fine."

"Okay," she said, ignoring the thrill that ran through her at the words 'just sleeping', as though there were other things they could be doing… She stopped that thought. "I don't have anything to sleep in."

"I have shirts and sweats," he said, releasing her to turn to his dresser. She accepted the clothes he gave her, then went into the bathroom to change. The shirt was long enough to cover her to the tops of her thighs, so she didn't bother with the sweat pants. She took a moment to text Grace that she was staying out and then take off her makeup. The lights were off when she emerged, and she dropped her clothes onto the couch, then made her way over to the bed. She set her phone on the side table, then climbed under the blankets, curling up against Beck, letting his body heat soak into her as he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer. She was asleep within seconds.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello again! This chapter does have a slightly M rated scene later on, and a little in the beginning too. Feel free to skip over it if that's not your jam.

* * *

Chapter Nine

Beck was the first one to wake up the next morning, and though Alex was usually a very light sleeper, she stayed asleep while he shifted a little. Her head was on his chest, arm stretched out over his stomach and legs tangled with his. He looked down at her sleeping face and smiled. She looked so much calmer and more relaxed while she was sleeping. Her eyebrows that were almost constantly drawn in worry or anger while she was awake were smooth now. She was laying half on top of him, and though he had worn only a shirt and boxers to bed last night, her body heat was almost overwhelming against his skin. He didn't want to move and wake her up though, even though he was overly warm. He took the opportunity to study her instead.

The light shining in the shuttered trailer windows turned her hair a brighter red then it usually looked, and it made her slightly tanned skin glow. Her hair was splayed out behind her over her pillow, and over her face, and he lifted a hand to brush it back. Her eyes fluttered open at the touch, and she looked up at him for a moment, then smiled and stretched against him, her blue eyes were clear and bright in the sun, and he smiled back. She closed her eyes again and curled further against him. He chuckled, smoothing her hair down as she buried her face into his neck. He turned his face a little to kiss her forehead, and she replied by kissing the skin of his neck that her face was buried into. He shivered at the feeling and felt her smile against him.

Her arm snaked up to the other side of his neck and she traced his collarbone through his shirt. Her touch was light as her fingers brushed up the side of his neck, and he shivered again. His arm underneath her gripped her waist tighter as her tongue darted out to lick his neck.

"Do you have your tongue pierced?" He asked, his voice a little breathless. She froze, then pulled back to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Are you really just noticing that?" She asked, smiling a little.

"…Maybe?" He said, phrasing it like a question as he blinked up at her. She stared down at him for a moment, then grinned evilly. She shifted so she was hovering over him, using her arms to hold her off of him.

"Is it a bad thing?" She asked, her voice husky. "There are all sorts of… advantages." His hands gripped her hips, though she was behaving this time, sort of.

"Like what?" He asked when she didn't continue. She smiled at the question, then leaned down to kiss him slowly, poking her tongue out so that the cool metal brushed his lips, then his tongue when he opened his mouth. His fingers pressed against her hips as he kissed back, but she broke the kiss to run her lips down his neck, then repeated the trail with her tongue pressed flat, letting the small metal ball drag against his skin down to his collarbone, then back up to his ear. She bit his earlobe lightly and was rewarded with a groan. His hands drifted from her waist up to her ribs as she returned to kissing him, teasingly drawing back when he leaned up to kiss her back. He growled as she chuckled, then he rolled them over so he was above her. He leaned down to kiss her roughly, pushing her into the pillows.

She lightly drew her nails up his back, lifting his shirt as she did so, then grabbed the material to pull it off of him, breaking their kiss for just a moment before his lips were back on hers. She hitched her leg up around his hip and his hand automatically went down to hold her thigh in place. As his fingers brushed her skin they both froze, breathing heavily, and pulled back to look at each other. Alex's hands were warm against his back, and she slowly moved them down towards his waist, watching his face. When she was still again, he very slowly moved the hand that had been gripping her thigh, running his fingers over the smooth skin of her leg, then up over the side of her hip, lifting her borrowed shirt as it went. She hadn't worn her bra to bed, which soon became obvious when he lifted her shirt over her head.

They spent the next few minutes kissing slowly and exploring each others bodies with their hands, touching carefully and slowly, so that if a line was crossed the other could call them out. To Alex this felt more like learning each others shape rather than something sexual. Their kissing was unhurried and passionate, and after a moment she reached up to tangle her hands in his hair, pulling him into her.

"Beck?" Knocking against the door made both of them freeze again, and then he was suddenly off of her, grabbing his shirt from the floor and pulling on some sweats before going to the door. Alex pulled the blanket up to cover herself, making sure to lay flat so that she couldn't be seen from the doorway.

"Yeah mom?" He asked as he pulled the door open a little, running a hand through his hair.

"You're friend is almost here," she said. "Are you just getting up now? It's nearly noon."

"Yeah," he said, faking a yawn. "I stayed up late yesterday."

"Well your friend called the house," she said. "His taxi will be here in a couple minutes. I'm headed to work."

"Okay," Beck said. "See you later."

"Alright," she said. "And turn your cell phone on. Moose said he tried to call you but- oh look that's him now."

"Great," Beck said. "I'll be right out."

"Okay. Bye honey," she said, and he closed the door.

"Moose is here?" Alex asked when she was sure his mother was far enough away not to hear. As though on cue, there was more knocking on the door. "As in, Moose from Vancouver?"

"Yeah," Beck said softly. "I forgot he was coming today. You might want to get dressed."

"I can't with the door open," she hissed as he pulled the door open again.

"Hey Moose," Beck said, grinning, then he frowned. "It snowed?"

"Well it is November," the other boy said, and Alex huddled further under that blankets as the cold air swept through the trailer.

"Let's go outside for a second," Beck said, glancing at her before shutting the door. Alex jumped out of bed, finding all her clothes quickly, though she borrowed a pair of Beck's sweat pants. It had been chilly the night before, but she didn't think it had been anywhere near cold enough to snow. She hunted through his drawers for a hoodie, pulling that on over her tank top. There was nothing more she could do, it was obvious she had spent the night here. She finger brushed her hair back so she looked less like a whore, then hunted down her shoes from the previous night, which happened to be black heels. She slipped them on, feeling ridiculous.

"Why are we out here?" Moose was asking when Alex pulled open the door. Both boys glanced at her, then Beck chuckled and Moose grinned in understanding.

"Not a word, either of you," she said, narrowing her eyes at them.

"Alex Zeller?" Moose asked, recognizing her tone and abrasive personality. She crossed her arms, glaring at them.

"Beck, I'm borrowing these clothes," she said, ignoring Moose and turning to Beck, who tried to hide his smile with his hand. "And you will have to drive me back to my car. Please."

"Yes ma'am," he said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Moose," Alex acknowledged. "Nice to see you again."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, then wriggled his eyebrows. "Well I guess I know what you're doing _here_ , but why are you in California? Last I heard you were moving to Seattle."

"I moved here last summer," she said, shrugging. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he said, chuckling. "Though I see I picked a bad time to arrive. I get why your phone was off," he said to Beck. Alex glared at him again.

"Stop teasing her," Beck said, stepping in before Alex got really mad. "Are you hungry? We can get food after we drop Alex off."

"Sure," Moose said, shrugging. Beck wrapped his arm around Alex's waist as Moose went to put his things inside the trailer. He kissed the side of her head, and she immediately relaxed, smiling up at him, then she frowned.

"Are you staying here?" She asked as Moose left the trailer.

"I was planning to, yep," he said.

"There isn't a second bed in the trailer, won't that be uncomfortable?" She asked, turning to Beck in question.

"We'll make it work," Beck said, shrugging. "Originally he was supposed to use the guest room but we had termites in the floor so they're redoing them now."

"Well he can stay at my place if you want," she said, turning to Beck. "We have three guest rooms. You can stay too if you want."

"Maybe," he said, steering her to his car. She took that as a 'we will talk about it later' gesture, and shrugged it off.

* * *

"Grace?" Alex called as she walked in the front door, closing it behind her. She could see from the shoes piled next to the door that both her sister and Jade were home, so she went into the living room.

"Hey," Jade said from the couch, then looked up and blinked at Alex's outfit choice. "Looking classy I see."

"Shut it," Alex said, rolling her eyes as she kicked off her heels by the couch. "Where's Grace?"

"I dunno," Jade said, turning back to the computer sitting on her lap. "I've been here since this morning and haven't seen her.

"Grace?" Alex called again, turning back to walk up the stairs. She stopped outside Grace's bedroom door, knocked, then opened it. Grace was curled up under her covers, though Alex could tell she was awake. She immediately felt bad for staying out all night, she should have remembered that her father had said he'd been by the house, and Grace took everything he said so personally. Alex should have known she would be upset too.

"Do you think I'm just like mom?" Grace asked, her voice scratchy from a dry throat. Alex dug around in the purse she still had over her shoulder, found her water bottle, then dropped it by the door.

"Not even a little," Alex said, going to sit on the side of the bed. She handed Grace the water bottle, and she sat up to drink it, which Alex took as a good sign.

"Dad was here yesterday," Grace said when she had finished off the water.

"I know," Alex said, resting her hands in her lap. "He came up to the school too. What did he do this time?"

"He asked how school was going," Grace said, shrugging. "Then he spent half an hour telling me why English is a useless major, and that I would have been better off going into law. Then he offered to pay for any schooling program I wanted if I moved back to Seattle. Then when I said no to that, he told me I was turning out just like mom."

"He tried to bribe me with a record deal," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "He said that I'll never make it big on my own and he was giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. When I told him no he told me that if I didn't go back now I wouldn't have a family to go back to."

"I'm sorry Allie," Grace whispered. Alex smiled at the nickname.

"I told him to go fuck himself," Alex said, and both girls chuckled. "Don't be upset, you are nothing like mom." She had meant them as comforting words, but Grace's eyes overflowed. Alex reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you don't want to spend all day in here crying do you? Let's go out somewhere."

"I'm sorry, I've just been so weepy lately," Grace said, rubbing her eyes. "You know that guy I was seeing from class? Eric?"

"You might have mentioned him once," Alex said, shrugging. "I didn't know you were seeing him."

"It wasn't really serious," Grace said, shrugging. "But he met another girl and called it off."

"I'm sorry," Alex said, squeezing her shoulder.

"It's okay," Grace said, chuckling a little now. "I wasn't that into him."

"Come on," Alex said, getting to her feet. "Let's go shopping, that always cheers you up."

"What are you wearing?" Grace asked incredulously, noticing Alex's clothes for the first time.

"It was colder out this morning than I thought it would be so I had to borrow some clothes," Alex said, narrowing her eyes.

"Where did you stay last night anyway?" Grace asked, climbing out of bed.

"At Beck's," Alex said, shrugging.

"Do we need to have a talk again?" Grace asked, wriggling her eyebrows up and down.

"Absolutely not," Alex said, shaking her head as she made for the door. "I still remember the last three you've given me."

"Good," Grace said, grinning. "Now go change into something presentable and we'll go get some sushi or something."

"I'll be ready in ten," Alex said, grabbing her purse from the floor, then turning back. "And Grace…"

"Yeah?" Grace asked, pulling open her closet doors.

"Thanks for taking care of me," Alex said. "You know, when mom didn't."

"Anything for my baby sis," Grace said, but she was smiling softly. "Now get out of here."

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said, laughing as she went into her own room.

When Alex was dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans, she wandered down to the kitchen to wait for Grace.

"Jade, are you coming out with us?" Grace asked, walking down the steps. She looked way better than she had ten minutes ago, her hair was pulled back into a simple bun and her makeup was done lightly.

"Where are you going?" Jade asked, not looking up from her computer.

"Nozu's" Alex said, slipping her shoes on.

"No thanks," Jade said, typing quickly.

"What are you working on?" Alex asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

"My history essay," Jade said, not pausing as she wrote out another line about the civil war.

"Oh yeah, when is that due?" Alex asked, shaking her hair out of her face. Jade huffed and brushed away the curls that hit her as Alex leaned next to her.

"Monday," Jade said, returning to her work.

"I should start on that," Alex commented, then shrugged and stood. "Maybe tomorrow."

"So you stayed at Beck's last night?" Jade asked, and Alex stilled.

"Yes," she said slowly. "You said that you were… you know, okay with everything."

"Yeah," Jade said, not looking up at her. Alex sighed, then glanced toward the kitchen where she could hear Grace puttering around. "So you two are together now?"

"Yes, sort of," Alex said, coming around the couch to sit next to Jade. "We haven't talked about it yet."

"Too busy for talking last night?" Jade asked, her voice biting. Alex flinched at the tone.

"I really want to say it's none of your business," Alex began carefully. "But I know this can't be easy for you no matter what you say. Last night at the concert my dad basically disowned me and I was upset about some of the things he said, which I'm sure you overheard since they very conveniently stopped the music during our argument. Beck just made sure I was okay. We slept. That's it." Jade stayed still on the couch, still not looking away from her computer screen, and Alex sighed. "But, Jade, I'm not going to promise you that we aren't going to do things together in the future. I can promise you that, if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't be obvious about things."

"You're right," Jade said at last, and her shoulders slumped. "It's not my business. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be difficult about this."

"Of course you do," Alex said, grinning and reaching up to ruffle Jade's hair. "That's part of your charm."

"If you touch my hair again I will rip your hands off your body," Jade said, glaring at Alex, who just laughed and stood. When she was safely on the other side of the couch, she ruffled Jade's hair again and sprinted away at the angered shout, laughing loudly.

* * *

"Hey," Alex said softly as she approached Beck at his locker Monday morning, bumping him with her hip. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side.

"Hey," he said softly into her ear. She turned her face up to smile at him, and he gave her a peck on the lips, then smiled back.

"Are you hanging out with Moose today?" She asked, taking a step away to open her own locker.

"Yeah," Beck said. "He's coming here after school. I was thinking about introducing him to the rest of the gang."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Beck asked, leaning against the lockers in one of his signature poses, which made Alex smile.

"Well, he's hot, and the girls can get really competitive," Alex said, shrugging as she pulled her books out of her locker and shoved them into her backpack. He didn't respond right away and she turned to look at him after a second, and was surprised to see he looked mildly upset. "Well, I mean, you can if you really want to, I was just saying."

"I need to get to class," he said, kicking his locker shut.

"But we still have ten minutes," she said, looking up at him in confusion, but he was already stalking down the hall. She watched him go for a moment, not understanding why he was so upset.

"Trouble in paradise?" Jade asked sarcastically behind her. Alex shut her locker carefully, still looking down the hall after Beck.

"No," she said, turning to Jade with a blank face. "Did you see Grace this morning?" Jade had stayed at their house the last few nights, and that morning Alex had gotten up early to go on a run, and by the time she had returned to shower and get ready for school, Grace had left for her classes.

"Yeah," Jade said. "She was still throwing up. The flu's been going around."

"I hope I don't get it," Alex said, walking with Jade to their English class. "I still have to sing that song for my lyrics class. We ran out of time on Friday."

"And we have that stupid fundraiser to help with this weekend," Jade said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh I forgot about that," Alex said with a groan. The boys were making a big deal about only having two bathrooms at school while the girls had three. Robbie complained about it the most, annoying Alex to the point that she had agreed to help out just so he would shut up about it.

"And we have our research papers for this class due Friday," Jade said, walking into the classroom as the warning bell rang.

"Oh yeah, I should probably start on that," Alex said, plopping down at her desk.

"How is it that you get straight A's when you procrastinate so much?" Tori asked, overhearing the end of their conversation.

"I dunno," Alex said, shrugging. "School is easy. If you listen in class you never have to read anything, and everything else is easy to BS my way through."

"Ug," Tori said, leaning her head into her hands. "I hate you right now."

"Good," Alex said, turning to face the front of the room. "Then don't talk to me."

"Happy November!" Cat said, giggling as she took the seat beside Tori.

"Cat, it's been November for two weeks," Tori said.

"I know," Cat said, bouncing in her seat as she clapped her hands. "And isn't it great?"

"Yeah, sure," Tori said, shaking her head a little at the other girls antics.

Alex, despite telling Tori that she just listened to lectures in class to understand their homework, zoned out during the boring English class, her mind going back to Saturday morning before she and Beck had been interrupted. She had no doubt that if it weren't for his mother knocking when she did, they would have gone further than they had. Alex didn't want to take any risks with anything. She would have to go see a doctor to get some birth control pills before she stayed over again.

Beck was absent at lunch, and very focused during Sikowitz's lesson that afternoon, so Alex didn't get the opportunity to ask him about the boy's plans for the fundraiser until after school, and she began to get the idea that she had done something wrong. Usually he was more attentive, even when she had been mad at him.

"Hey, want to go to Nozu's?" Tori asked her after class was over.

"I just went with my sister on Saturday," Alex said, shrugging. "Why don't we go somewhere else?"

"I want sushi," Jade said firmly as they approached the front of the school.

"Alright, fine," Alex said, shrugging. She had no real plans for that evening since Beck was going to spend time with his friend and Grace worked until eight.

"Let me get this right," Jade said dryly from in font of their little group as they turned to see Robbie and Andre standing below a bright yellow banner. "This Saturday night I'm going to be appearing in Tinkle-aid?"

"Beck and I did not approve the name," Andre said, holding his hands up.

"When my brother was little he used to have a 'Tinkleade' stand," Cat said, smiling at them all. They stared at her for a few seconds. "It was so cute. He'd stand there all day yelling 'Tinkleade, 25 cents a cup!'."

"I hope you mean lemonade," Tori said after another moment of trying to work out Cat's thought process.

"Haha, no," Cat said, still smiling while she shook her head.

"Okay, well," Tori said, turning away from the girl to invite the boys to their sushi outing. Alex glanced around the hallway for Beck, but still didn't see him. "I'm getting kinda hungry. Want to go to Nozu's?"

"We always go to Nozu's," Robbie said, shaking his head. "I want a hamburger."

"Yeah," Andre said, agreeing. "I need some beef and fat."

"Ew," Cat said, frowning at him. Her sentiment was echoed by Jade and Tori. Alex pulled out her phone to see if Beck had texted her about leaving school early or anything, but the only new message on her phone was a text from Olivia asking for her to send along any new music she had. She texted back that she only had class assignments but she would send those sound files to Olivia that evening. She only looked up again when Beck rounded the corner and approached the group.

"Hey," he said, lifting a hand at them. Alex tried to catch his eye, but he didn't look at her, and her earlier hunch that he was mad at her grew further. The others had been just about to head out, for sushi she assumed, since the boys didn't look happy about it.

"Oh hey!" Tori said, smiling at him. Alex hung at the back of the group, trying to figure out why he was mad. "Want to come to Nozu's with us?"

"Oh I can't," Beck said. "My friend Moose just got here from Canada."

"You have a friend named Moose?" Tori asked, obviously trying to resist laughing at the name.

"Yeah," Beck said, shrugging. "We met in feeferdoon."

"What's feeferdoon?" Cat asked, confused.

"Oh, in Canada, that's what we call kindergarten," Beck said, his face serious. Alex snorted. It was a running joke among high schoolers in Canada that when they traveled to america, they told untrue stories about their home country to confuse the others. So many people Alex had known in Vancouver had told their friends of times they had done this that it had become almost second nature for them and the other kids. She hadn't realized Beck took part in this, probably because they didn't talk about Canada to the others very often.

"Wow, that's not interesting," Jade said sarcastically.

"So, where's Moose?" Cat asked. Beck finally glanced towards Alex, though she sort of thought it might have been an accident since their eyes met and he looked away immediately.

"On the roof, taking a picture of the Hollywood sign," Beck said.

"Well, we're going to be at Nozu, if you guys want to join us later-," Tori said, started, but Beck lifted his hand to point behind them.

"Oh, there he is," Beck said, walking around the group.

"Oh hey all," Moose said as he saw them all turn to look at him. Cat gave a little gasp and Alex rolled her eyes as the other three girls put up a chorus of 'hi' and 'hey's.

"Guys, this is my friend Moose," Beck said, slapping Moose on the back.

"Yeah, we know," Jade said, looking him over.

"From fluffernugget," Cat said, twisting her hair. Moose looked confused but Alex chuckled as Beck corrected the girl on the made up word. Alex tried to catch Beck's eye again, to silently ask why he was avoiding her, but he was watching Cat poke Moose in the stomach as she tried to flirt.

"Uh, Moose, we were all about to go grab some sushi," Tori said, stepping forward. "If you want to come."

"Uh," Moose said, looking over Tori's head at where Beck had been shuffled back by the girls. "I'm not into eating raw fish. I'm more of a burger and fries guy."

"Oh, a burger sounds great," Tori said, making Robbie and Andre stare incredulously at her.

"Yes," Jade said, agreeing.

"So great," Cat chimed in. "Let's go get burgers!"

"We could go to Karaoke-dokie," Jade suggested as the guys had just minutes ago.

"Yay beef and fat," Cat said excitedly.

"I'll drive," Jade said, and Tori grabbed Moose's arm to pull him along after the other girls. The guys followed after them, exchanging looks, and Alex walked out behind them, feeling small because now she knew for sure that Beck was angry.

There wasn't enough room in Jade's car for all of them, though the girls, Beck, and Moose all squeezed in.

"Want to ride with me?" Alex asked Robbie and Andre as the other's climbed in. They both turned to her, surprised. She kept her face straight, but she felt like she was two inches tall. Her and Beck hadn't even talked about what they were to each other now, and she had already done something to make him angry.

"Uh, sure," Andre said at last, following Alex to her car. They rode silently, following right behind Jade's car. Andre and Robbie were casting her fearful, strange looks, though she didn't notice them. When she parked, both of them jumped out of the car as though surprised she hadn't driven them into the desert to murder them. Alex moved a little slower. By the time she walked into the karaoke place, the others had already chosen tables. She silently sat between Jade and Andre, across from Beck, looking down at the table.

Usually she would have demanded to know why he was angry at her, and she likely wouldn't have cared if it were anyone else, but something about him made her feel shy. And it upset her that he was mad at her. She didn't want to make it worse.

"I just don't get it," Andre said when Jade, who had been staring at the other table, shoved Robbie off his seat to sit next to Moose.

"Why don't you ask Alex," Beck said, and she looked up at the use of her name, confused at his tone. Andre glanced between them, confused too, as Robbie took the empty seat.

"Ask me what?" Alex asked, looking straight at Beck. She hadn't listened to the last couple minutes of conversation.

"That," Andre said, waving a hand at the other table where Tori, Jade, and Cat were all leaning forward as Moose talked, gazing at him intently. Alex rolled her eyes, then she suddenly understood Beck's anger. She had said that morning that it would be a bad idea to introduce Moose to the others because she had known the girls would act exactly how they were now, though she hadn't expected it from Cat. She had said that Moose was hot. Beck was jealous. She stared at him for a moment and he met her eyes steadily. How could he be jealous? Didn't he know her at all?

Andre and Robbie were glancing between the two of them, growing uncomfortable by their silent conversation. Alex kept her expression blank while she tried to silently convey that he was being stupid. Beck looked away when the waitress came to take their orders and suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She stirred her ice water with her straw as the others talked or ate, trying to think of how to go about making it obvious to Beck that he didn't need to be jealous, she wasn't going anywhere. She considered writing a song, that was how she was able to most accurately convey her feelings, but she couldn't think of anything to write as she sat at their table, leaning her head on one hand so she didn't have to look at the others.

"So what are we doing now?" Alex asked Tori as they all left the karaoke bar.

"Didn't you listen?" Tori asked, craning her neck to keep Moose in view as they walked to Jade's car.

"No," Alex said, shrugging.

"But you agreed," Tori said, finally glancing at Alex.

"Did I?" Alex asked, briefly remembering nodding at various questions that were spoken in her direction.

"Jade invited Moose over to your house to watch The Scissoring," Tori said. "Everyone's going over."

"Great," Alex said, sighing. She texted Grace that some people were coming over and might still be there in three hours when she came home, as the others argued over who was going in Jade's car. In the end, the boys ended up back in Alex's car. The ride was tense and silent, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled into her driveway and the others got out. Jade and the girls were already in her living room, setting up the movie.

"Got any popcorn?" Moose asked, glancing up from the couch as Alex stood, feeling awkward in her own living room.

"I'll get it!" Jade said, jumping up.

"Nice house," Andre commented from beside Jade as the others settled on her couch.

"Thanks," Alex said dryly as she watched Beck sit on the couch, lounging against the back of it in another of what she called his 'poses'. She waited until everyone else had also taken a seat before disappearing to the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to be social, so she settled into a chair at the kitchen table where she would be able to hear the conversation without being a part of it.

Grace got home twenty minutes later and found Alex in the kitchen sipping on some tea.

"Hey," Grace said, sitting down at the table.

"You're home early," Alex said. "And you look pale. Still sick?" She got up to pour some more hot water into a mug for her sister.

"Yeah," Grace said, shrugging. "I'm feeling a bit better this afternoon. Jared from work said his wife had the stomach flu last week and it was gone after three days."

"Well you're on the end of day two," Alex commented, setting the cup in front of Grace.

"Thank god," Grace said, wrapping her hands around the mug. "Everything I smell makes me throw up. Why aren't you in there?"

"Not in the mood for a movie," Alex said, shrugging.

"Fighting with Beck already?" Grace asked, lowering her voice further as loud screams came from the TV.

"No," Alex said, sighing. "He's mad at me."

"What did you do?" Grace asked, patting Alex's arm.

"Just made a stupid comment," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Why aren't you guys at rehearsals this week?" Grace asked, sensing that Alex didn't want to talk about it.

"We finished last week," Alex said. "We have dress rehearsals starting next Monday, so we got this week off for the costuming people to finish up making our outfits."

"When is opening night?" Grace asked, sipping her tea.

"It starts next Thursday at six," Alex said softly. "You want to come? I can get you a ticket."

"Sure," Grace said, grinning. "I want to see my baby sis as the Princess Bride."

"It's such a stupid play," Alex groaned.

"Didn't you watch that movie like every day of ninth grade?" Grace asked, chuckling.

"Not every day," Alex protested, then quieted as she remembered the others in the next room. The two girls were silent for a moment, both enjoying their tea.

"Do you want to talk about Beck?" Grace asked quietly. "I've never seen you like this."

"Like what?" Alex asked, confused.

"Quiet," Grace said, chuckling. "Passive." Alex sighed.

"He's jealous over something I said this morning," Alex said softly. "He doesn't realize that he has no reason to be jealous. I don't know how to tell him that without sounding insincere."

"What did you say?" Grace asked curiously.

"His friend Moose is visiting from back home," Alex began. "I told him it might not be a good idea to introduce him to the girls because he's hot and they would fight over him."

"Oh," Grace said, wincing. "You never tell a guy that another guy is hot. They are more sensitive than girls that way."

"I didn't realize he would make such a big deal out of it," Alex said, looking down into her tea. "He hasn't talked to me all day."

"Talk to him," Grace suggested, leaning back in her chair. "Tell him you're in love with him."

"He knows that," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Does he?" Grace asked. "Are you sure? Have you told him?"

"Well, no," Alex said, frowning. "I guess not."

"Tell him," Grace insisted. "Boys are just as insecure as girls are."

"Well he hasn't told me yet either," Alex said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

"Communication is the most important part of a relationship," Grace said solemnly. "Like Saturday when I said that Eric found another girl and broke it off I was wrong. He had wanted to make our relationship exclusive."

"So you're dating him now?" Alex asked, smiling at her sister. "When can I meet him?"

"He's coming over tomorrow for dinner," Grace aid, grinning widely. "I'm going to make lasagna."

"Luring him in with food," Alex said, chuckling. "I approve."

"Good, because I'll need some help," Grace said, getting to her feet.

"No problem," Alex said, smiling. "Are you going to bed? You look tired."

"Yeah," Grace said, even though it was only just after six.

"I'm going on a run," Alex said, standing to follow Grace to the stairs. The others were all focused on the TV and didn't notice the two girls going upstairs, nor did they notice Alex coming back down in her running clothes five minutes later.

Alex did her usual 'short' route, a three mile loop around their neighborhood that led her past both Beck's house on one end of the loop, and Tori's all the way on the other end. Alex had discovered recently that she and Jade lived almost exactly halfway between Tori and Beck. Alex liked to run this route because it was the same one that Tori's sister Trina ran, probably because she had a small obsession with Beck. Alex couldn't stand the older girl most of the time, but she had run with Trina a few times, and maybe it was just that Trina was usually out of breath while running, but she was much less annoying. Surprisingly, she could usually keep up with Alex too, so she was a pretty good running partner. Tonight though Alex ran alone, which was how she wanted it just then. She worried over finding the right way to tell Beck she loved him. She had thought it was obvious, but Grace's advice was usually worth listening to. What if he didn't feel the same way though? They weren't even properly going out. There hadn't been any dates yet, and they hadn't talked about it yet, and there hadn't been any use of the terms 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend' yet. What if this was just him getting a crush out of his system? What if he got tired of her in a few months and moved on to someone else? The girls at school practically threw themselves at him and not all of them were unattractive.

She resolved to, for once, ignore Grace's advice and find a different way to settle their little misunderstanding some way that made her look less clingy and desperate. Though she thought hard for the full half hour it took for her to run the loop. As she neared her house she considered running another loop, at a faster pace now that she was well warmed up, but if the others were still there it would probably be rude of her to be gone for too long. Normally she wouldn't care much about being rude since she hadn't even wanted them over in the first place, but she wanted to catch Beck before he left to talk to him.

The movie was still playing when she got in, and she jogged up the stairs to clean herself up a bit. When she made it back downstairs the movie was just finishing up. She stood and watched the girl in the bloodstained white dress and creepy makeup stab another girl who pleaded for her life, but was dead in moments anyway.

"Such a great movie," Jade commented from her place next to Moose. Alex flicked the lights on and chuckled as they all blinked at the sudden light.

"It's getting late," Alex said from the entry way.

"So?" Tori asked, leaning against Moose's other side.

"So get out of my house," Alex said, crossing her arms.

"Charming as always," Moose commented sarcastically, grinning back at her. She rolled her eyes as the others stood from their places.

"I left my car at the school," Andre said, glancing at Alex, who was currently less scary than Jade, the only other person with a car at the moment.

"I'll drive you up to get it," Alex offered, surprising the others. "Beck?"

"My car is at the school too," he said, shrugging.

"I'll take you and Moose to get it," Jade said, suddenly eager.

"I'll come with," Tori said, sidling up to Moose.

"Me too," Cat said, smiling. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she snapped. "Robbie, do you need a ride home too?"

"Uh, sort of?" He said, looking at her with fear.

"Come on then," she said, walking out the front door. The others squeezed into Jade's car again, and Alex made sure to leave while they were still getting in so she could beat them to the school.

"Andre, take Robbie home," Alex said as she pulled to a stop next to Andre's car.

"What?" He asked, frowning as Robbie scrambled out of the car. "No."

"Get out of my car," she snapped at Andre, letting her foot off the brake to roll forward a little. He scrambled out and she drove off before he could even shut the door properly, leaving both boys in the parking lot. She sped on her way to Beck's house even though she knew he hadn't even gotten his car yet, and parked a little up the street so he wouldn't see her car in the dark. Then she trudged through the very thin layer of snow to sit on the step to his trailer to wait.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Moose asked, being the first one to catch sight of her.

"Just needed to talk to Beck for a second," Alex said, getting to her feet. "You don't mind do you?"

"Nah," he said, glancing at Beck, who remained silent. "I'll just, er, be inside then."

"Thanks," Alex said, not looking away from Beck's gaze. When they were alone, she finally moved, taking a couple steps closer to him. He didn't respond in the slightest, and she sighed, coming to a stop at arms reach.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked finally when she was silent.

"You're mad at me," she said, phrasing it like a statement rather than a question.

"And?" He asked, not denying it.

"You don't have any reason to be," she said, her voice raising a little in exasperation.

"You think so?" He asked, not giving in at all.

"Yes!" She said, scowling at him. "You're all jealous over some stupid comment I made that you can't even see that you don't need to be jealous at all." Her hands had gone to her hips while she talked.

"I'm not jealous," he said immediately, protesting the term.

"Well then I have no idea what I did wrong," Alex said with a huff as she took a step forward to hit his arm. "People in relationships are supposed to talk to each other not just ignore each other when one of them does something wrong. If you aren't jealous then what is going on with you because I don't understand. Do you not want to be with me?" Her voice cracked a little at the words, and she hated herself for getting upset. His impassive expression finally fell and he took a half step forward, resting his hands on her bare upper arms. She felt goosebumps erupt over her skin, and the next moment he was shrugging off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders, then pull her into him, hugging her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck, breathing in the smell of him and relaxing a little at the contact.

"I might have been a little jealous that you were calling other guys hot," Beck admitted into her hair, and she pulled back to look at him.

"That's stupid," she said, shaking her head. "You don't have any reason to be jealous. I'm here aren't I? I'm not going anywhere."

He searched her eyes for a moment, then leaned forward to kiss her. She kissed him back hard, hands gripping his shirt to pull him closer.

"Sorry," Beck mumbled, pulling away from her. "For ignoring you all day."

"Don't do that again," she ordered, but her demand was ruined by her smile. "I missed you."

"I'd invite you to stay over but the trailer's already crowded," Beck said, chuckling.

"You can both come stay at my house," she suggested again, very much wanting to spend the night sleeping next to him again.

"You're just saying that because you think Moose is hot aren't you," Beck asked, and she glared at him.

"I didn't say I thought he was hot," Alex argued. "I meant that, objectively, he is, and that the girls would fight over him because of that, which they did."

"Yeah, I still don't get that," Beck said, shaking his head. "He's not the only hot guy they've ever seen."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Alex asked, chuckling. "Conceited much?"

"You don't think I'm attractive?" Beck asked, pouting a little. She reached up and tapped his nose, grinning.

"Of course you are, but looks aren't important," she said, shrugging against him as she leaned in again. "Besides, they fight over him because he's new to them, and unknown. Like how the North Ridge girls fight with each other over your attention sometimes."

"Oh," Beck said, frowning in thought. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Of course not," she said, chuckling. "You don't know how girls think."

"Well I know that you only offered to let us stay at your house because it means that I'll be there too," Beck said, stepping back from her to smile.

"Conceited!" Alex said again, smacking his chest. "But you aren't wrong. So?"

"Sure," Beck said. "I'll go get Moose."

"Great," Alex said, grinning up at him. "See you in a few then." He leaned down to peck her on the lips, then went inside to tell his parents and Moose the plan while Alex left to get her car.

* * *

"More people?" Grace asked when Alex had told her what was going on. The other girl had slept for only an hour or so before getting up to throw up again.

"Jade's at home tonight," Alex said. "So really there will only be one more person than usual."

"Fine," Grace said, shrugging. "I'll try to stay away. I don't want more people getting sick."

"Are you working tomorrow?" Alex asked, leaning against Grace's door frame.

"No, just two classes," Grace said, brushing her teeth vigorously in the bathroom connected to her room. "And dinner."

"Right," Alex said. "If you'd rather Beck and Moose not be here for that they can go out somewhere."

"I don't care," Grace said, walking over to her bed and plopping down on it. "They can be here if they want."

"I'll ask them," Alex said. "Do you want anything? Soup maybe?"

"Ug, no," Grace said, falling back against her bed. "No food. I think I'll just sleep."

"Okay," Alex said, heading back into the hall. "Good night."

"Night," Grace called as Alex flipped the lights off. "Don't get up to any funny business."

"I won't," Alex said, chuckling. "I need to go see a doctor first and get some birth control."

"I should do that too," Grace said, her words distorted as she yawned. "Now that I have an official boyfriend."

"I've been looking at clinics in the area," Alex said. "We can go to the 'Family Health' one Wednesday after school if you want."

"Sounds good," Grace said. "Now go away. I want to sleep."

"Kay," Alex said, chuckling. She pulled Grace's door shut since it wasn't really that late and she wasn't sure if the boys would want to stay up longer. It occurred to her as she passed her room that Beck had never been over before today, which made her fly into her room to pick things up before he got there. It wasn't messy, but there were some clothes on the floor and a mixture of school work, staff paper, lyric pages, and sheet music covered nearly every surface available. She quickly stacked them so they looked slightly presentable and threw the clothes into the hamper in her closet, then kicked the various shoes and books under her bed so they weren't visible. The doorbell rang as she finished, and she winced at the loud chiming. She could just barely hear Grace yell about the bell through her closed door as Alex hurried to open it.

"Hey," she said, slightly out of breath, as the two boys walked back into the house for the second time that day. "Grace is a bit sick so she's upstairs, but if you guys want any food or anything, you can help yourselves."

"Thanks Alex," Moose said, smiling as he carried his things inside.

"There's a spare guest room right down that hall," Alex said, pointing through the living room. "Use the one on the left since I think Jade still has some things in the other one."

"Jade stays here too?" Moose asked, grimacing at the idea of the overly affectionate way they had all been behaving towards him.

"Not tonight," Alex said, shrugging. "She lives next door and she's almost always here during the day."

"Really?" Beck asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, yeah," Alex said, shrugging. "It's less… loud here then it is at her house."

"Right," Beck said, understanding what Alex meant.

"And you don't have to ring the doorbell," Alex continued. "It's annoying and Grace and I both hate it. You can just come in whenever."

"Doesn't your sister care that people are just staying in her house while she's sick?" Moose asked, looking guilty for being there.

"It's not her house," Alex said, shrugging. "And she said she doesn't care."

"Well, if she's sure," Moose said, shrugging too. "I'll go put my things away. You said the room on the left, eh?"

"Yeah," Alex said, nodding. "Grace and I both have school in the morning but you can stay here if you want."

"Thanks," Moose said.

"And Grace is having her boyfriend over for dinner tomorrow," Alex added as Moose walked towards the living room. "You can stay for that too or you guys can go out or whatever."

"Okay," Moose said, nodding.

"So, what do you want to do?" Alex asked suggestively, turning back to Beck and winking when Moose was out of earshot. He chuckled, stepping forward to wrap an arm around her waist.

"We need to talk," he said, leaning down to kiss her. She drew back to look at him, her mouth pulling into a frown.

"That always sounds bad," she said, searching his face.

"No," Beck said immediately, smiling at her. She relaxed. "Nothing bad, it's just that we haven't really had a chance to talk about … anything much."

"Okay," she said, agreeing. "Now?"

"Yeah," Beck said, nodding. "I'll just go tell Moose we are going to bed."

"That sounds like personal business to me," Alex said jokingly.

"I didn't mean it that way, pervert," Beck said, rolling his eyes.

"I know," Alex said, chuckling. "I'm upstairs, first door on the right."

"I'll be up in a second," Beck said, leaning down to kiss her again. This time she let him.

* * *

"So," Alex began when Beck came into her room, closing the door behind him.

"So," he replied, standing by the door. She had been sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, so she patted the bed next to her, inviting him over.

"Where did you want to start?" She asked when he was comfortably seated beside her. She reached over to pick up his hand, then held it in her lap with both of hers, her thumbs smoothing over the skin. The motion relaxed her a little, though she was still tense, even though he had assured her it wouldn't be a bad conversation.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," he said, turning his body toward her a little, though he left his hand in her grip. She smiled up at him, leaning in to him.

"Good," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "I want that too."

"And I want to go out on a date," he said, smiling at her. "Sometime."

"Sure," she said, looking back down at his hand in her lap as she twisted her fingers between his, hiding her smile.

"And the rest we can figure out as we go?" He suggested, using his free hand to reach over and tilt her face back up towards him.

"Yeah," Alex said, meeting his eyes. She lost her train of thought for a moment, realizing for possibly the first time, or maybe the hundredth, how beautiful his dark eyes were. "Wait," she said after a moment, a little breathlessly. He smirked a little at her tone, but released her chin and leaned back a little.

"Waiting," he said, chuckling.

"What do you mean by 'the rest' exactly?" She asked, shifting so her knees were folded and she could turn towards him, leaning her shoulder against the headboard.

"I don't know," Beck said, shrugging. "Everything else."

"Okay," She said, sort of understanding what he meant. "But with 'everything else'…"

"Yeah?" He prompted when she paused to try to figure out how she wanted to word it.

"We have to actually talk about things," she said slowly. "And not ignore each other or get mad over stupid things."

"Everybody fights," he said, shrugging.

"Yeah, I know," Alex said. "And I get angry all the time at pretty much everything, which I'll try not to do but I have a hard time controlling my temper."

"I've noticed," he said, tweaking her nose. She batted his hand away. "But I get what you mean. Communicate instead of ignoring."

"Right," she said, nodding. "Did you bring something to sleep in?"

"No," he said, smirking at her again. She rolled her eyes, but climbed up off the bed, grabbing the clothes she had put out earlier. She usually slept in yoga pants and a tank top, or shorts when it was hot out. She had opted for shorts tonight, even though it was cold out, because she had known Beck would be coming over. She changed in the bathroom, taking a moment to brush her teeth while she was there, then she went back to the bedroom, turned the lights off, and climbed into bed next to Beck, who was already under the covers.

"I like your room," he said softly as she snuggled up to him.

"Thanks," Alex said, tucking her head into his neck. "I wanted to paint it but I never got around to it."

"What color?" Beck asked, wrapping an arm over her waist. His fingers immediately found the hem of her tank top and pushed it up an inch or two so his hand was against her skin. She shivered, half because his hands were a little cold, and half because he was touching her. He wasn't wearing a shirt this time, just boxers, and she pressed her cold fingers into his chest, smiling against his neck as he flinched. The day suddenly came down on her and she yawned, exhausted.

"Pastel purple," she said.

"Wasn't your room in Vancouver purple too?" Beck asked, using his free hand to brush her hair back so it wasn't in his face.

"Yeah," she said, her hand moving under his arm to wrap around him. They were silent for a few moments , relaxing into each other. "Sorry that I said Moose was hot. I just was trying to prove a point."

"I get it," Beck said, his hand rubbing up her back to sooth her, she yawned again, snuggling further against him. "It's fine. I'm sorry for being jealous."

"You being jealous of other guys is just stupid," she said softly, feeling herself drifting off a little.

"Why is that?" He asked, his voice soft, but amused.

"I've wanted you since I was like twelve," Alex said into his neck. "I'm not going to change my mind." He was still for a second, his hand pausing on her hip, then he moved, catching her by surprise as he hovered over her, his hands pinning both hers beside her head. She gazed up at him with wide eyes, suddenly not tired anymore.

"You want me?" He asked, his voice low.

"Yes," Alex said breathlessly. This wasn't what she had meant by those words just now, but she wasn't about to say that. She tried to free her arms, wanting to reach up and touch him, but he kept his grip on her wrists tight, and being unable to move made the situation much hotter to her as she looked up into his eyes.

He leaned down to her, giving her a short kiss on the lips, and when he pulled away, she leaned up, wanting to keep kissing him. He chuckled lowly, and leaned down to kiss just under her ear. She tilted her head to give him more room, and he kissed slowly down her throat to the hollow above her sternum. Her lips parted and her eyes closed automatically as he reached the edge of her tank top to kiss along the top of her breast.

"Since you were twelve?" He asked softly, moving to put his weight on his knees and elbows on either side of her, as he looked down at her. She was breathing hard when she finally opened her eyes to look up into his face. He was smiling slightly, and his eyes were sparkling in the faint light. Her mouth stretched into a returning smile without her thinking about it, his happiness was just catching.

"Well," she began, feeling her heart speeding up a little more in anticipation as he pressed himself against her. She took in a sharp breath as he rolled against her, and he grinned, leaning down to kiss her slowly. She kissed him back, pulling against his grip again, wanting more than ever to touch him.

"Well?" He whispered against her lips, then kissed her again. When he finally pulled back, she took in a deep breath.

"Well, I didn't mean this way of wanting you," she said quickly before he could kiss her again and cut her off. "I meant I've wanted to be with you."

"So you don't want this then?" He asked, releasing her hands immediately. She reached up the second she was free to pull him down onto her again, kissing him desperately for a moment.

"Of course I want this too," she whispered, pulling away from him for only a second. "I want everything, if it's with you." He pulled away to look at her, his face serious, and she felt her heart swell as she looked back up at him.

"That is so sappy," he said after a long moment, his eyes soft and holding some emotion that she didn't recognize. "Especially for you."

"I know," she said, chuckling as her fingers twisted in his hair. "I can be a hundred times more sappy too if you want."

"I kind of like it," he said, smiling down at her. She moved her hands so they were wrapped around his arms and pushed lightly so he would know she wanted him to move off of her. He did so, and she immediately rolled over so she was straddling his hips, and she pinned his hands by his head, mimicking the position they had been in moments before. He could have easily pulled his hands free, he was much stronger than she was, but he let her hold him down for the time being.

"Good," she said, hovering over him. "Me too."

He let out a little groan as she leaned into him, pushing her whole body against his as she kissed him.

"I want you too," he said as soon as she released his lips.

"I've noticed," she said, grinning as she rolled her hips. He groaned, his hands moving as though he were going to grab her hips, but at the slight restraint on them he dropped them back to the bed. She repeated the motion and he rolled his head back into the pillow. She leaned down to kiss along his jaw up towards his ear, then lightly bit the lobe.

"I meant that I want everything too," Beck said into her ear. "With you. I have for a long time."

She pulled back in surprise, and he groaned again at her movement, though she hadn't done it on purpose that time.

"Really?" She asked, looking down at him. "A long time?"

"I told you I had a crush on you when I was in eighth grade," he said, and she was happy to see that he was breathing just as hard as she was. "That never really went away."

"Really?" She repeated, a warm feeling flooding her chest and forcing her mouth to twitch up into a smile.

"Well, I thought it did," he said, his voice serious. "But I guess I've always sort of… compared people to you."

"Yeah?" She asked, curious now. She released his hands, sitting up over him, thinking he was going to explain what he had just said, but instead, as soon as he was free, he sat up too, and slid her shirt up over her head. Then his hands were on her, sliding down her back, and his lips were covering hers as he leaned back, pulling her against him. She fell forward, catching herself on her hands, and rolled her body against his, earning another low groan from him. She could feel him through the thin material of her shorts, and she gasped against his lips. His mouth left hers to trail down her jaw and neck, like they had done just moments before, but this time there wasn't a tank top to stop him at her collar bone. She moaned, and if she had been thinking, she might have been embarrassed at how needy the sound was, but her brain was blissfully focused on his lips. Then suddenly she was underneath him again, and he was kissing his way down between her breasts. She arched her back, pushing herself into him more. One of his arms reached around her waist to help support their new position as he slid a little further down her body, and the other cupped her breast, his thumb brushing over her hardened nipple. She moaned at the feeling, her head rolling back as his tongue found her other nipple and teased it. His right hand left her breast and slid down her ribs to her hip, his fingers dipping under the hem of her stretchy shorts.

"Beck," she began, but her words were cut off by a moan as his teeth very gently scraped against her skin as he kissed down her stomach, pinning her hips to the bed with both hands. Her hands had tangled themselves in his hair, and she pulled on it lightly, not wanting him to stop but remembering that there was something she needed to tell him, though she couldn't think what it was when he was dragging her shorts down her legs like that.

He threw the shorts off the bed, then his hands were back on her hips, and his lips were back on hers. She wondered if he could tell, in the dark, that she hadn't been wearing any underwear. He seemed hesitant to touch her below the waist now, so she assumed he knew.

"Is this okay?" Beck whispered against her lips. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about.

"I don't have-" she cut off as he lightly bit the side of her neck. "-any contraceptives."

His mouth didn't pause in its assault on her neck, and within moments, she had forgotten she had even spoken. He was pressing against her lower body now, and her legs had snaked up to wrap around him, pulling him closer. She rolled her hips up against him and he moaned against her neck, then took a slightly shaky breath in, his mouth near her ear, as she rolled her hips again. Her hands reached down between them to push his boxer shorts down his legs. He kicked them off, then pressed himself back against her, both of them letting out quiet moans at the skin-to-skin feeling.

"I really want you right now," Beck whispered into her neck.

"I think we've established that," she said breathlessly as he rocked against her. Her hands were around his shoulders, trying to pull him closer, but he was holding his upper half away from her by then. They both stilled, staring at each other.

"But we need to stop now," Beck continued softly, then leaned down to kiss her slowly. While they kissed, he shifted her so that he was laying on his side next to her. Her hand ran down his side to his hip. He reached down to catch her wrist as she moved it down further. She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, biting a little, then she pulled back.

"There are things we can do without having sex," she whispered, biting her own lip at the words. His eyes darkened as she watched, and he released her wrist. She took that as permission and wrapped her fingers around his length. He let out a low groan, his eyes closing and his head rolling back. She leaned in to kiss the side of his neck as she moved her hand up and down, stroking slowly.

"Fuck," he groaned as she tightened her grip for the down stroke, then loosened it again. She moved so she was kneeling over him and pushed him onto his back, then she began kissing down his chest, sucking lightly as she went. She left a small bite mark on the soft skin beside his hip, then, before he could protest, she drew him into her mouth. His hands wound in her hair automatically as he groaned, and his hips moved up a little, trying to thrust into her mouth. She pushed him back down with her free hand, then began bobbing her head slowly, hollowing her cheeks. She pulled back to swirl her tongue over the head, then took as much of him as she could into her mouth, reveling in his soft moans as his grip tightened in her hair, pulling and pushing alternatively. Within only a few minutes he was panting and his fists gripped her hair roughly.

"Fuck," he muttered again. "Alex-"

She made a sound of acknowledgement in the back of her throat but didn't stop her movements, even as he came in her mouth. She swallowed it, not wanting to have to worry about a mess later. He pulled on her hair again, tugging her up his body to kiss her. She hesitated before their lips met, knowing that a lot of guys didn't like to taste themselves when kissing after a blowjob, but Beck didn't seem to care about that, his tongue immediately entering her mouth as his arms wrapped around her tightly. He was still breathing hard, so she pulled back from him to let him get enough air.

"You look very self satisfied," he commented after a few moments, looking up at her.

"I am," Alex said, smirking down at him. "I like doing that."

"I enjoyed it too," Beck said, chuckling as his breathing finally calmed.

"I noticed," Alex said, smiling as she laid down beside him. His chest was sweaty, and his skin was very warm as his arm found its way under her body to wrap around her. His hand coasted lightly down her back and she shivered against him.

"Are you cold?" He asked as she cuddled closer to him.

"A little," she said softly. She expected him to grab the blankets that were right on the other side of him, but instead he rolled half on top of her, letting his body cover hers as he wrapped his arms around her. She laughed. "You make a good blanket."

"That has been my life goal for quite a while," he said, his voice amused as he tucked his face into her hair, pushing his nose against her neck. Her hands brushed gently up and down his back, and he freed an arm so that his hand could rest against her ribs, fingers tracing each raised bone. When he reached the bottom of her rib cage, his hand trailed lower, to her hip, then towards her center. She shook her head as her hand darted down to stop his.

"Not tonight," she said softly. "It's late and we have school in the morning."

"Please," he whispered against her face, his lips brushing her cheek bone. "I want to touch you." She shivered at his tone, but pulled his hand up to the side of her neck, where she placed it carefully, then covered it with her own, holding it still.

"Tomorrow," she whispered, turning her face toward his.

"It is tomorrow, it's after midnight," he said, moving his hand under hers to cup her cheek.

"Which means we have to get up for school in less than seven hours," she said softly, her hand moving to his face. Her thumb traced over his cheekbone, then his lips, and she leaned forward to kiss him.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered against her mouth, and her heart turned over in her chest as he kissed her again and his hand slid back to her neck. He pulled back for a moment, staring down at her, his eyes memorizing her face, then he leaned down to kiss her slowly. "Your heart is beating like crazy," he said, pulling back for a moment.

"I like it when you call me beautiful," she admitted, her voice a whisper.

"Then I'll do it all the time," he promised, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her against him as he settled on to the bed, then reached out to drag the blankets over them both. "Do you have an alarm set for school?"

"Yeah," Alex said, her eyes closed as her body relaxed.

"Goodnight," he said, kissing her forehead.

"Dream about me," she said jokingly, smiling against his neck.

"Oh I will," he said, chuckling. She shook her head a little, but moments later she was asleep.

* * *

Despite her late bedtime, Alex woke before her alarm went off. Her back was pressed against Beck, and his arm was heavy over her waist, his hand entangled in hers. She carefully extracted herself from his hold, then made sure he was covered as she collected her running clothes. If she was going to be awake at five in the morning she may as well be productive. She paused at the door to the bathroom to look back at the bed. Beck looked just as relaxed awake as he did asleep, but his hair was terribly messed up now, something she thought was quite funny since usually he was very well groomed.

She used the bathroom, dressed, and quietly crept from the room. Grace was in the kitchen already, nibbling on some eggs and toast.

"Over easy eggs?" Alex asked, grimacing at the runny food as Grace dipped the corner of her toast into it.

"I thought I'd try it," Grace said, shrugging. "It's actually really good."

"Nasty," Alex said, shaking her head. "I'm going on a run. I'll be back in a bit."

"I'm going in to class early," Grace said, taking another bite. "Eric wants to get coffee."

"Have fun," Alex said, wriggling her eyebrows. "I'll be back after school to help with dinner."

"Thanks Allie," Grace said, smiling back at her.

"No prob," Alex said, putting her headphones into her ears. "See you later."

"Bye," Grace called.

Alex made her usual three mile loop, then showered and dressed for school. By the time she was ready, hair and makeup done and her bag by the door, it was just before seven so she went to wake Beck.

"Hey," she said softly, kissing his cheek.

"Can we just skip school today?" He asked, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the light as he turned onto his back.

"We have a pop quiz in geography today," Alex said, chuckling.

"How do you know that?" Beck asked, not moving. "Pop quizzes are supposed to be a surprise."

"I'm good at eavesdropping," Alex said. "Get up."

"Fiiiine," he said, whining a little. She laughed when he still didn't move. He glanced up at her from under his arm, then frowned. "How long have you been up?"

"I dunno, an hour maybe?" Alex said, shrugging as she stood from the bed. His arm darted out to wrap around her waist and pull her back down to the bed. "Beck!"

"Five more minutes," he mumbled into her neck. She laughed.

"We need to leave soon," she said, but she made no effort to get up. "And you need to get dressed."

"In five minutes," he said, kissing the sensitive spot below her ear. She shivered.

"What are you going to do for five minutes?" She asked jokingly.

"I can think of quite a few things," he said, then moved quickly so he was above her, pinning her arms above her head with one hand while his other hand slid up underneath her shirt. He kissed her hard on the mouth as his fingers found her nipple through her bra and pinching it lightly, and she moaned, feeling him growing hard against her stomach. Her hands pulled under his restraining one as his hand left her breast and trailed down her stomach to her pants, then quickly undid the button there.

"Beck," she said, her voice high. "Fuck," she moaned as his fingers dipped into her underwear. Her legs were pinned under his calves, and she was unable to buck her hips up as his fingers found her clit, quickly rubbing small circles over the bundle of nerves there. She felt the pressure building in her stomach immediately, and she threw her head back against the pillow, moaning. He kissed her neck, his teeth pulling at the skin. "Oh god," she whispered against his hair. "Don't stop."

"Alex," he said, his voice soft and muffled by her skin as his lips ran along her jaw. She let out a breathless moan as she was finally pushed over the edge, and her legs shuddered against his as he extracted his hand from her pants. She was breathing hard as she came down from her high, and he released her hands. She immediately tangled them in his hair, pulling him up to her mouth to kiss him desperately for several minutes as her heart tried to return to its normal rate.

"That was not how I had imagined spending those five minutes," Alex said when she could breathe regularly again.

"You said tomorrow," Beck murmured against her lips. "And I didn't think I could wait until after school."

"You messed up my hair," she said, chuckling. He drew back to look down at her, then grinned.

"You look beautiful," Beck said. "Though probably not school appropriate."

Her shirt had ridden up to her ribs, and her pants were still unbuttoned. She could only imagine how her hair looked.

"You don't look very school appropriate either," she commented, looking up at his bare chest.

"Well since we have about… fifteen minutes to get to school now we might want to fix that," he said, glancing over at the clock above her dresser.

"Maybe we should just skip a day," she said, echoing his earlier idea.

"We have a quiz," he said, echoing her earlier excuse. He got up and grabbed his clothes from the floor, and she leaned back against the bed to watch. "Enjoying the show?" He asked, turning back to see she hadn't moved.

"Immensely," she said, smirking at him. He bent over to kiss her once, then disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for school. She fixed her clothing with a sigh, then went downstairs to use the bathroom mirror there to fix her hair.

They just barely made it to school on time, Beck giving her a short peck on the cheek before they parted ways for their first class of the day.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello hello. Thanks for the lovely reviews. As one of you pointed out, it doesn't actually snow in LA, at least not in a couple decades, I was just going along with what the show had, and there was snow on the ground for at least one Moose scene.

Songs used in this chapter are:

Lego House by Ed Sheeran

Stand by You by Rachel Platten

YOUTH by Troye Sivan

Sorry by Justin Bieber

Never Forget You by Zara Larsson

Lost Boy by Ruth B

Brand New by Ben Rector

Not all these are mentioned or actually have any lyrics used, it's just what I imagine Alex's demo CD to contain. Enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter Ten

"I'm back," Alex called, walking through the front doors.

"In here," Grace yelled from the kitchen. Alex dropped her backpack by the door and kicked off her shoes, then made her way into the other room. Moose was sitting at the table, and Grace was standing as far away as she could from a pot simmering on the stove and still be able to stir it.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, trying not to laugh at the sight.

"Boiling the noodles for the lasagna," Grace said, then covered her nose with one hand. "My stomach is still upset and the smell is bothering me."

"I offered to stir it for her but she wouldn't let me," Moose said, also trying not to laugh.

"Let me," Alex said, taking the spoon from Grace. "Beck will be back in a little while, he just stopped at home for a minute."

"Cool," Moose said, shrugging.

"Are you drinking my tea?" Alex asked, scowling as she caught a whiff of his drink.

"Sure am," he said, grinning. "It's not as good as back home, but it's still delicious."

"Yes it is," Alex said, glaring at him. "And its harder to get here."

"I'll send you some when I go back," he said, not caring at all that she was using her meanest glare.

"Good," she said, turning back to the pasta as Grace pulled a package of recently thawed hamburger from the fridge and began to open it, then made a gagging sound. "Grace-" Her sister held up one finger, covering her mouth, then darted across the room to the bathroom where Alex could hear her throwing up.

"What's up with her?" Moose asked, grimacing at the sound.

"The flu's been going around," Alex said, shrugging. "She's just getting over it."

"Oh, yeah, I saw on the news this morning that the university cancelled some classes because almost half the students stayed out sick," he said, leaning his elbows on the table.

"Okay," Grace said, coming out of the bathroom. "I'm good now."

"You should go get checked out," Alex said, turning the heat off on the noodles. "Maybe they have something that will help you get over it faster.

"I'll ask when we go tomorrow," Grace said, returning to the meat.

"Let me do that," Alex said, slapping her hand away. "As appetizing as you throwing up every time you smell food is, I don't want to hear any more of it."

"Okay okay," Grace said, moving to the fridge. "I'll make salad. Are you boys staying for dinner?" She asked Moose as she pulled vegetables out of the fridge.

"I don't think so," Moose said, shrugging as Alex heard the front door open again. "We were going to go sight seeing."

"Okay," Grace said, shrugging, then glancing at Alex. "Is Jade going to be here?"

"I don't think so," Alex said, tipping the hamburger into a pan to brown it. "Unless that was her coming in now."

"Jade?" Grace called over the running water in the sink as she rinsed off some leaf lettuce.

"No," Beck said, walking into the room. "Sorry to disappoint. Ready to go?" He asked Moose, who stood from the table.

"Now that you've had all my tea," Alex muttered, scowling over at him.

"Sorry," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Stop whining," Grace said, tossing a piece of lettuce at Alex. "I'll get you more."

"You got lettuce in my hair!" Alex said, shaking it out and scowling at her sister, then she scooped up a small piece of the now cool noodles and flung it at Grace, hitting her face. "Ha!"

"Bitch!" Grace said, laughing as she peeled the noodle away and tossed it in the sink. Alex ducked the cube of tomato thrown her way a moment later and stuck her tongue out.

"Missed me," she sang, then ducked the next piece too. She picked up the can of tomato sauce Grace had set on the counter earlier. "Don't make me open this."

"You wouldn't," Grace said, holding a stick of celery as though it were a sword.

"Wanna bet?" Alex said, twisting the lid until it popped.

"Okay, I surrender," Grace aid, dropping the celery back onto her cutting board. "Cheater."

"I didn't cheat," Alex protested. "You're just a baby."

"No," Grace said, hands on her hips now. "I just don't want tomato sauce everywhere."

"Baby," Alex taunted, still holding the can.

"'You got lettuce in my hair!'," Grace mocked, making her voice whiny.

"'I can't look at raw hamburger without throwing up!'," Alex replied, also mocking.

"I have the flu!" Grace said, tossing her hands up in exasperation.

"Then you shouldn't be cooking!" Alex said, rolling her eyes, but she set the jar back onto the counter. A second later she was hit in the back by three baby carrots. "That's it!" She said, tossing down the spatula she had been using to stir the hamburger. She turned around and tackled Grace, pulling her to the floor, then she straddled her stomach to keep her down and reached back for the sauce, grinning evilly.

"No!" Grace said, trying to wiggle out from under her as Alex dipped her fingers into the sauce. "I'm sorry!"

"Too late!" Alex said, laughing loudly as she smeared tomato sauce over Grace's nose as the other girl screamed. Finally, Alex stood, grinning.

"I hate you!" Grace said, laughing as she tried to wipe the sauce off her face. "It smells terrible!"

"You started it," Alex said. "And I have to win, otherwise you'll start thinking you're in charge or something."

"I am in charge!" Grace said, hands on her hips. Her threatening look was ruined by the tomato smear across her nose, and Alex laughed, which made Grace start laughing too. Then she reached out and wiped the sauce that had been on her face onto Alex's cheek.

"Ug!" Alex said, stepping back immediately, trying to get the sauce off her face. "I'm going to get you back. It'll be unexpected, and probably squishy. Like that time I filled your pillowcase with mushrooms."

"Good luck finding any around here," Grace said, taking the hand towel to wipe her face.

"There are grocery stores here," Alex said, shrugging as she accepted the towel form Grace. "And pet stores that sell frogs."

"Absolutely not," Grace said, hands on her hips again as she glared at Alex. "No frogs."

"Fine, fine," Alex said, smirking.

"No fish either," Grace said. "No lizards, no cactuses, no cheese."

"Please," Alex scoffed. "You think I'm so uncreative I have to reuse my pranks?"

"What did you do with cheese?" Beck asked, his voice amused. Both girls turned to them, having forgotten they were still there.

"I'm not going to tell you," Alex said. "I might have to use it on you some day."

"You poor boy," Grace said, shaking her head, then both girls laughed.

"I'm gong to leave now," Beck said, pointing towards the door.

"Yes, escape while you still can," Alex commented, turning back to the beef. "Oh, do you want to take my car?"

"I have a car," Beck said, raising an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"Yes, but mine is so much more fun to drive than yours is," she said, smiling at him.

"Is yours the Porsche?" Moose asked, raising both his brows as Alex nodded. "And you want to let Beck drive it?"

"Hey," Beck protested. "I'm not a bad driver."

"I don't care who drives it," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"So I can drive it too?" Moose asked, grinning.

"Sure," Alex said, shrugging. "Just don't crash it or I'll be pissed."

"Yes!" Moose said, looking excited.

"Keys are in my purse, Beck," she said, laughing. "See you later."

"Thanks," Beck said, surprising her at his closeness as she turned toward him. He wrapped an arm around her middle and kissed her cheek, then he was gone.

"You guys are so cute together," Grace said, sighing as she cut up a cucumber for her salad. Alex just smiled.

* * *

The doorbell rang exactly at six, and Alex, who had been pulling the lasagna out of the oven, nearly dropped it as she flinched from the loud sound.

"I'll get it!" Grace said, her voice excited as she wiped her hands on a towel. She had been preparing garlic bread to go in the oven, so Alex took the cookie sheet full and put it in, setting the timer for fifteen minutes.

While the lasagna had cooked, both girls had gotten cleaned up. Grace had said she wasn't feeling sick at all after her last trip to throw up in the bathroom when they had been layering the lasagna. Alex washed her hands in the sink, then pulled her hair out of the pony tail she had put it in to keep it out of the way.

"Alex!" Grace called, and Alex turned toward the voice as Grace and her new boyfriend walked into the room. He was cute, as Grace had said. He was tall, and looked like he played football, or something, and he had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. "This is Eric."

"Hi," Alex said, holding her hand out to shake his.

"Hi," he replied, his voice a little higher than Alex had expected it to be. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow at Grace, who shrugged.

"Is dinner ready?" Grace asked, and Alex wondered what her sister had said about her that she didn't want Alex to know.

"In about ten minutes," Alex said, glancing at the timer.

"Great," Grace said, moving to the fridge to get out the various things they had to drink. "Have a seat, anywhere you want."

"Thanks," Eric said, taking the seat that Jade usually occupied when she was over. "So you are still going to school?" Eric asked, looking over at Alex as she stood, not sure where to go.

"Yeah," Alex said. "I'm at Hollywood arts."

"You look too old to be in high school," he commented as Grace set the various drinks on the table, then went back for the salad she had made earlier.

"I'm 18," Alex said, bristling a little at his tone, then forcing herself to relax. He was Grace's boyfriend, which meant she should make an effort to get along with him.

"My mom started her in school a year late," Grace said, sitting down at the table, rubbing her stomach. Alex wasn't sure if she had told Eric she had the flu, so she refrained from commenting.

"And they let you wear those things in your face at school?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow. Alex clenched her fists, then breathed out and pasted a fake smile onto her face.

"Yep," she was, popping the p. "They believe in the freedom of expression because they aren't judgmental ass-"

"Oh look, the garlic bread is done," Grace said, jumping up to her feet. "Alex, give me a hand."

"Sure," Alex said, following her over to the stove.

"Please try to be nice," Grace whispered as Alex pulled the hot pan from the oven. "I really like him."

"Fine," Alex said, sighing. "Sorry."

"He's just a little outspoken," Grace continued as she held the plate out for Alex to put the bread on. "He's not trying to be offensive."

"I'll keep that in mind," Alex said, putting the empty tray into the sink. Grace patted her shoulder, then went back to the table. Alex followed behind with the now set lasagna.

Dinner passed quickly, and Alex was mostly silent, answering any questions directed at her with one word answers. Alex and Grace cleared the dishes afterword, then Grace got out ice cream for them all. Alex skipped that, but she didn't want to leave and 'be rude' since Grace had asked her to make an effort.

"This is a really nice neighborhood," Eric commented as they ate their ice cream. "These houses must be expensive. How can you afford this when you're going to school too?"

"Oh," Grace said, glancing at Alex guiltily. Alex knew her sister didn't like that Alex payed for almost everything, and she had resolved on paying her back someday, though Alex had told her it wasn't necessary.

"She saved up for a long time when we lived in Seattle," Alex commented from her chair. It wasn't a lie, Grace had been saving up for a house while they lived in Seattle, it had just been slow going because she had spent a long time taking care of Alex and their mother.

"It's impressive," Eric commented. The doorbell rang three times in quick succession, and both girls made faces at the sound.

"I'll get it," Alex said, jumping up from the table, taking the first possible excuse to leave. She pulled open the door, glaring.

"Hey," Tori said, waving embarrassedly. "I have a problem."

"What else is new?" Alex asked sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"No, its just," Tori began, then sighed. "I need to know something that Moose likes."

"So you can obsess over him even more?" Alex asked, rolling her eyes.

"No," Tori said, but she looked guilty. "But Jade is totally winning. I can't lose to her. She's at the school right now making some replica costume of that movie."

"This is so not my problem," Alex said, making to close the door.

"Please just tell me something he likes!" Tori begged, pushing the door open again.

"If I do will you go away?" Alex asked, growling under her breath.

"Yes!" Tori promised excitedly.

"Okay," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Umm… I dunno," she continued, trying to think. "Hockey?"

"Hockey!" Tori said, jumping a little in the spot. "I can work with that! Thanks, you're the best!"

"Whatever," Alex said, then closed the door on the girl and went back into the kitchen.

"Who was here?" Grace asked, stopping the conversation she had been having with Eric.

"Tori," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh is she staying over too now?" Grace asked, tilting her head.

"Absolutely not," Alex said, grimacing.

"Too?" Eric asked, joining the conversation.

"Yeah, Alex's boyfriend has a friend visiting from Canada but their house is being fumigated or remodeled or something so they are both staying here," Grace said, shrugging as she stood with the empty ice cream bowls.

"You have a boyfriend?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow at Alex. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes," she said, taking her seat again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," he said, catching her tone for the first time that night. "It's just that I thought you would have scared most guys off with all the…" he trailed off, using his hand to gesture to his face, illustrating that he meant her piercings. Her eyes narrowed further. "You could be really pretty if you took those things off you know."

"Thanks for the opinion," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Next time I want it I'll ask."

"Alex," Grace warned, coming back to the table. Alex frowned at her. She wasn't about to sit there and take shit from this idiot just because Grace was fucking him, she wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut.

"I'm going for a run," Alex said instead, getting to her feet, then she turned to Eric, giving him a very obviously fake smile and making her voice sickeningly sweet. "It was just so nice meeting you."

She left the room before he could respond, going up to her room to get her running clothes.

* * *

When Alex got back from her run it was just starting to get dark, and Moose and Beck had just pulled into the driveway. A car that she assumed to be Eric's was still in the driveway, and she frowned at it as she pulled out her ear buds.

"Hey," she said from behind the two boys as they approached the door. "Grace's stupid boyfriend is still here."

"I take it dinner didn't go well?" Beck asked, wrapping an arm around her waist as she approached them. She relaxed immediately, feeling the tension leave her body at his touch. She smiled up at him.

"It was fine," Alex said, shrugging. "He's just kinda dumb."

"Should we go somewhere else until he leaves?" Beck asked, and Alex shook her head, opening the front door for them.

"How was your sight seeing?" She asked as they all walked inside.

"We went to see all the celebrity's stars," Moose said, shutting the door behind him. Alex could hear Grace and Eric in the living room, watching a movie or something, so she didn't call out that they were there, instead lowering her voice.

"I still haven't been down there," she commented, leading them into the kitchen.

"It's pretty cool," Moose said, following behind her. "You should go check it out sometime."

"Are you guys hungry?" Alex asked now that they weren't interrupting the movie.

"No, we already ate," Beck said.

"Well there's not much to do around here," Alex said, shrugging.

"We have that paper for English due tomorrow," Beck said. "I still need to work on mine."

"Oh, right," Alex said, frowning. "I think I started that."

"I don't understand how you can get straight A's when you do everything last minute," Beck commented, shaking his head, but he was smiling.

"Years of practice," she said, smiling jokingly.

"I'm gonna go catch the end of the game," Moose said, heading back to his bedroom.

"Game?" Alex asked, going to fetch her backpack from near the door where she had left it earlier.

"The Canucks are playing the Flyers tonight," Beck said, shrugging.

"Oh," Alex said. "Tori came by here today asking for information on Moose so she can make him like her."

"Oh god," Beck said, shaking his head. "What did you tell her?"

"She wouldn't leave," Alex said defensively. "I told her he likes hockey."

"That'll be fun to see tomorrow," Beck said, chuckling.

"Apparently Jade is working on something crazy too," Alex said as they walked up the stairs to her room. "I don't really have anywhere up here to work on homework," she said, looking around her room.

"Can we use the table downstairs?" Beck asked, grabbing his backpack from her floor where he must have left it earlier. "Or will we be interrupting the movie?"

"It should be fine," Alex said, scooping her laptop off her bed, then turning to follow him back down stairs.

The movie went on for another hour, and by the time it was done, Alex was just finishing her research paper.

"Okay, there's no way you wrote an entire paper in an hour," Beck said as she closed her laptop with a grin.

"I never said I hadn't already started it," Alex said, shrugging. "You just assumed that."

"So how long did it actually take?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I worked on it for a couple hours on Sunday," she said, chuckling. "How much more do you have to do?"

"Not much," he said, turning back to his computer. "I worked on it all last week."

"I guess you can't always be as good looking as I am and still have brains," she said jokingly, leaning down to kiss his cheek. He smiled for a second, then turned back to his work.

"Hello kids," Grace said, coming into the kitchen, smiling.

"Someone looks happy," Alex commented, shoving all her things back into her backpack. "Is Eric gone?"

"Yes," Grace said, then sighed. "You could have been nicer to him."

"He told me that my face scared people away," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"He did not," Grace said, hands on her hips.

"Well he said he was surprised I had a boyfriend because he assumed most people would be scared off by my piercings," Alex said, shrugging. "Then he said I could be pretty if I took them out."

"I like them," Beck commented, not looking up from his computer.

"Good," Alex said, smiling.

"Okay," Grace said, holding her hands up. "So he's a little…"

"Self-centered?" Alex suggested. "Stupid?"

"No," Grace said, crossing her arms. "I was going to say opinionated."

"I'll make more of an effort next time," Alex acquiesced. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Grace said, patting her shoulder. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, you have school tomorrow."

"Yes mother," Alex said, rolling her eyes, then she chuckled. "Good night."

"Night," Grace said, disappearing up the stairs.

"I'll be upstairs too," Alex said, turning back to Beck. "Whenever you're done with that."

"I'll be up in ten minutes," he said, typing quickly.

* * *

The next day was weird. Alex had completely forgotten that she had promised to help the guys rehearse for their fundraiser show that evening, and she'd had to cancel on them since she and Grace had doctors appointments at four. They didn't seem surprised, Tori had already told them she was going to the LA King's game that night with Moose, and neither Jade nor Cat had payed any attention when Andre had tried to talk to them about the show.

When Tori had said that Jade was making a duplicate costume, Alex hadn't expected it to be a fake blood stained white gown, and she also hadn't expected Jade to wear it at school. It was creepy to say the least, but Moose seemed to find it interesting.

Alex was almost glad to escape to her house after school. She was also looking forward to Sunday when Moose would be leaving and everything would return to normal, hopefully.

"Hey Alex," Grace said, coming down the steps when Alex pulled into the driveway.

"Hey," Alex said. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yeah," Grace said, shrugging. "I figured since they usually have a bunch of paperwork to fill out we could get there early."

"Okay," Alex said, climbing back into her car. "Is the door locked?"

"Yeah," Grace said. "Should I leave it open?"

"Nah," Alex said, pulling back out onto the street. "The guys are out somewhere with the others, and I'm sure Jade is too busy obsessing over Moose to want to come over."

"You're friends are weird," Grace said, chuckling.

"Does it bother you?" Alex asked, glancing at her sister.

"No," Grace said, smiling. "It's nice having people over all the time. It's like having a giant family."

"You should invite your friends from school too," Alex said. "Then it'll be an even bigger family."

"I'll think about it," Grace said, shrugging. "I haven't really met anyone I want to really be friends with yet."

"You've been there for four months though," Alex said, shaking her head. "How is it that I'm doing a better job of making friends than you are?"

"It is weird," Grace said, laughing. "I'll have to try harder."

"You should join an actual yoga class instead of those online ones," Alex said, turning onto the highway.

"I'll think about it," Grace said, shrugging. "Olivia called this morning."

"I don't know why she doesn't just call my cell phone," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"She didn't want to bother you at school," Grace said. "She wants to come over tomorrow. She said she has some big news."

"Oh great," Alex said, sighing. Olivia's version of 'big news' was usually her wanting Alex to meet some 'high-up' music business person, which meant lots of smiling and polite conversation.

"She's just looking out for your future," Grace said gently.

"I know," Alex said, frowning. "And she does a great job of it."

"She does," Grace said, agreeing. "She's the one who first suggested moving here you know."

"Because the music scene here is bigger than in Seattle," Alex said, nodding. "I know."

"And she agreed to keep you on even after you said you wanted to finish school before you did anything else," Grace said. "Lots of people would have moved on to the next client."

"I know," Alex said. Olivia only had three other people to manage, none of them had made it big yet so it was easy for the woman to keep up with all four of them. Alex had never met any of the others, though all three lived in L.A. Apparently they were all like Alex herself, preferring to produce their music on their own and then let Olivia handle who it got sent to.

"There's a spot," Grace said, pointing out the empty parking spot in the lot in front of the doctors office. Alex took it, then the two girls walked into the office together. Olivia signed them in and got their paperwork, then joined Alex in the waiting area. They filled out their brief medical histories, insurance numbers, and other information, and within a half hour Grace was called back. Alex had another ten minutes to wait before a nurse came for her too. Since Alex had been on birth control before, for most of last year, she knew exactly what she wanted, and after a brief conversation with a doctor, she was back in the waiting room. She waited for about five minutes, but when Grace didn't emerge, Alex walked to the pharmacy three buildings down to fill her new prescription.

Grace still wasn't done with her appointment when Alex returned, so she settled in to wait, flipping through a fashion magazine to pass the time.

"Alright, we will see you again in four weeks," the nurse said, holding the door open for Grace, who walked out dazedly, her face white. Alex stood, frowning.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Alex asked, seeing Grace's hands shaking a little.

"Yeah," Grace said blankly. "Let's go outside."

"Sure," Alex said, hurting to open the clinic doors. "Did you ask about your flu?"

"Yeah," Grace said, looking down at her hands as they stood near Alex's car. "I'm not sick."

"But you've been throwing up and-" Alex began, but she cut herself off, putting the pieces together. "Oh my god."

"Yeah," Grace said, finally looking up with a weak smile. Alex stared at her. "I'm pregnant."

"Holy shit," Alex said, running her hands through her hair. "A baby?"

"Yeah," Grace said again, resting her hands on her still flat stomach. "I'm five weeks along."

"Oh my god," Alex said again, then she grinned and jumped to hug her sister. "That's so exciting!"

"Yeah," Grace said for a third time, though she seemed relieved at Alex's reaction.

"You want to keep it right?" Alex asked, pulling back. She didn't want to assume.

"Definitely," Grace said, nodding seriously. "It's not a good time, really, but I've always wanted kids."

"I know," Alex said, grinning again. "And I get a baby niece or nephew!"

"I'll make other living arrangements and everything so you don't need to-" Grace began, but Alex rolled her eyes.

"Don't be stupid," Alex said, getting into the car. "You're staying with me."

"Alex, you don't have to… I can take care of myself," Grace said, shaking her head slowly.

"If you move out I'm going to become a bum and have to live with you," Alex threatened, pulling out of the parking lot slowly. "I'll live on your couch and earn my keep with free babysitting."

"Okay, okay," Grace said, finally chuckling. "We'll talk about it later."

"There's nothing to talk about," Alex insisted. "You've always taken care of me, let me take care of you for a little while."

"You're already paying for my school, technically," Grace argued. "And the house, and the utilities."

"I don't want to live alone," Alex said, scowling. "And I don't have anything else to spend the money on."

"I know, but-" Grace began again, but Alex shook her head.

"No," Alex said. "You'll have a lot to worry about soon, but living arrangements are not one of those things."

"Thank you," Grace said softly after a moment. "I'll need to talk to Eric."

"Ug," Alex grimaced. "Is it his?"

"Yeah," Grace said. "He's the only guy I've been with recently."

"I suppose I'll have to make more of an effort with him then," Alex said, sighing. "I promise not to murder him."

"Thanks," Grace said, chuckling again, but she sounded worried. Alex looked over at her as they waited at a stop light.

"You don't think he will be happy?" Alex guessed.

"No," Grace said, frowning. "He doesn't exactly react well to surprises."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Alex said, but it was more of a comforting thing to do rather than that she believed it to be true.

"Yeah," Grace said, yawning as they pulled into the driveway. "Hey, want to see the ultrasound pictures?"

"Hell yes I do," Alex said, hurting to open the front door before Grace got to it.

"I can still open doors, Alex," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "Looks like your friends are here."

"I don't care," Alex said, glancing at the car pulling into the driveway. "Pictures?"

"Go get your computer," Grace said, smiling at Alex's excitement. Alex had begged for a baby brother or sister when she was little, and she didn't give up on that until her parents became too busy to even see them let alone each other. She sprinted up the stairs, grabbed her laptop, and was in the kitchen next to Grace within moments.

"Hey," Beck said, coming in the front door. "We're back. And, uh…" Alex glanced up from the table where she was setting up her laptop. Moose was still outside on the porch, which she could see through the open door. Cat was clinging on to his arm, Tori was standing really closely behind her, and Jade was on his other side, all of them gazing up at him. The snow from a couple days ago had melted, but it was still chilly out, which made Alex a little confused at the outfits the girls were wearing. Cat was in a dress with a short poofy skirt, Tori was wearing a short black skirt, and Jade was in shorts, and none of them had jackets on.

"Tell them they can't come inside," Alex said, shrugging and turning back to the computer as Grace took a CD out of her purse. Beck went to relay her message, and all three of the girls started to talk over each other.

"Look," Grace said, pulling her attention to the screen. "She said I'm just over five weeks along, so it doesn't look much like a baby yet, but there's a video."

"Wow," Alex said, watching the nearly shapeless blob on the screen shift back and forth. "That's the baby?"

"Yep," Grace said, resting her hand over her stomach. "You can see it's head better in the pictures."

"Pull them up!" Alex said, grinning. Her eyes watered a little with happiness as Grace pulled up the pictures.

"Right there," Grace said, pointing to a rounded white blob. "That's his skull."

"He looks like a little fish," Alex said, leaning onto the table to stare at the picture.

"He does," Grace said, laughing as her eyes filled with tears. She wiped them away, then poked Alex's cheek. "Don't you cry or I'll start crying too."

"I'm not crying," Alex said, wiping under her eyes, then laughing. "I'm just excited."

"This is crazy isn't it?" Grace said, giving a watery chuckle. "It doesn't feel real yet."

"We should go baby shopping," Alex said, plopping down in her chair.

"We don't even know if it's a boy or girl," Grace said, chuckling as she shook her head.

"When do you find out?" Alex asked, glaring at the door where there was a growing amount of noise coming from the porch.

"I don't know," Grace said, shrugging. "I don't really know much about being pregnant, it's never happened to me before. She gave me some pamphlets."

"Let's look," Alex said, holding her hand out as Grace dug through her purse.

"Here," Grace said, holding one open to Alex a moment later. "This one has a general time line."

"It says you have to be four months along," Alex said, frowning. "That's so long."

"It'll pass quickly," Grace said, chuckling."I think it'll be a boy."

"Then I'll guess girl so at least one of us is right," Alex said, grinning. A swell of conversation came from the porch again and Alex growled, standing, and marched to the door to pull it open. All five people on the porch froze as the door opened, seemingly halfway through an argument.

"Oh hey Alex," Moose said sheepishly.

"Get off my property," Alex said, crossing her arms. "All of you. Right now."

"But-" Moose began, frowning.

"If you are staying here you can come back when it gets dark. If I see or hear anyone who isn't staying here after that I will call the police," she said angrily. "You have thirty seconds to leave." She slammed the door on them all, then watched out the kitchen window to make sure they all left.

"That was harsh," Grace said, but she was laughing. "Leftovers?"

"Sure," Alex said, turning back to her computer to watch the white blob wriggle around on video again.

* * *

"Sorry about earlier," Beck said softly when they were laying in bed that night.

"It's okay," Alex said, snuggling into him.

"Were you crying?" Beck asked, and she opened her eyes to look at him curiously. "Earlier? It sort of looked like you had been."

"Oh," Alex said, chuckling. "They were happy tears."

"Oh?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her again.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you yet," Alex said, smiling against his neck. "It's not my news."

"Oh," he said again, resting his head on her pillow. "Hey… do you think…"

"I have been known to, sometimes," Alex said when he didn't continue. He chuckled.

"Do you think we are moving too quickly?" Beck asked. "I mean, we just started dating and it feels like we are practically living together."

"It's just for this week," Alex said, shrugging against him. She didn't open her eyes again. "On Sunday you'll go back to your place."

"Yeah," he said, sighing. She looked up at him then.

"You can sleep in the guest room if you want to," she said, frowning. "You don't have to stay in here."

"No, that's not it," he said, kissing her forehead. "I like staying in here. It just feels like we… belong this way I guess."

"Now who's being cheesy?" She asked, smirking as she leaned forward a little to kiss his jaw. "It's because we are so comfortable together."

"Comfortable?" He asked, looking down at her.

"Yeah," she said. "We've just spent so much time around each other in the past that it feels like this is where we should be now. At least, that's how I feel."

"I do too," he said, and she grinned, tucking her face back into his neck. "How was your doctors appointment?"

"I just went in for birth control pills," Alex said, smiling a little. "It didn't take long."

"But you guys didn't get home until close to five," Beck said, confused.

"Grace's appointment took longer," Alex said, shrugging.

"So you have birth control now?" He whispered, and she shivered at his tone.

"I haven't started it yet," she said, pulling herself tighter against him. "I'll start it either this week or next."

"Why wait?" He asked, his hand sliding down her back. She shivered against him.

"Because that's how they work," she said, chuckling a little. "You can only start it at certain times."

"Why?" He asked, and she pulled back to look at him with a raised brow.

"Do you really want to know the inner workings of the female body?" She asked, amused.

"I was just wondering," he said, shrugging.

"Well the pills keep you from being pregnant by releasing hormones that make your body think it's already pregnant," she began, settling back to watch his expression. "Since the body produces those hormones naturally at certain times each month, I have to wait until the right time in the cycle of hormones to start taking the fake hormones or the pills will change the timeline my body makes naturally."

"I think I understood that," he said, nodding. She chuckled.

"I avoided using the word 'period' so you wouldn't get uncomfortable," she said.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her.

"I can make it more graphic if you want," she said, keeping her face straight. "Every month a females body prepares for a baby and when it doesn't get one it throws a fit by shedding the lining of the uterus which results in-"

"Okay, I get it-" he said, stopping her. She chuckled.

"So how was rehearsal for your show this weekend?" She asked, cuddling back into him.

"We rewrote the show," he said, shrugging, then stilling when he remembered her head was on his shoulder.

"What's different?" Alex asked, relaxing into him.

"We changed the song," he said. "The girls bailed on us and you had that appointment."

"I'm sorry I missed it," Alex said, frowning. "I'll be there tomorrow."

"It's okay," he said, soothing a hand down her back again. "We left a space open for you to sing a song though. You can pick any one you want."

"You don't want me in your song anymore?" Alex asked, frowning against his skin.

"No, not you particularly," Beck said, shaking his head. "We just wrote all the girls out since they seem busy."

"What should I sing?" Alex asked, feeling a little better that the others weren't mad that she had missed too.

"We can figure it out tomorrow," Beck said. "Let's go to sleep now."

"You've been saying that for the last two hours," Alex said, chuckling. Every time they tried to go to sleep, one of them would think of something else to say and they would keep talking.

"Yes but now it's after midnight," Beck said, smoothing her hair back. "We have school in the morning."

"Okay," Alex said through a yawn. "Good night."

"Good night," he said, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

"Why do you always get up so early?" Beck asked, groaning as Alex's phone alarm rang in the morning.

"I like to run before school," Alex said, covering a yawn as she turned the alarm off. "And I like to see Grace before she leaves for classes. Go back to sleep."

"I'd enjoy it more if you also came back to sleep too," he said, stretching an arm across the bed, but she had already gotten up and grabbed her running clothes.

"I need to run," she said, chuckling as he squinted against the sunlight. "Otherwise I'll get fat and gross and then you won't like me anymore."

"I'd still like you if you were fat and gross," he protested sleepily.

"Well I'd rather not test that," she said, patting his head. He grumbled and rolled onto his stomach, trying to hide from the light. "I'll be back in a bit to wake you up again."

His only response was a groan muffled by the pillow, so she went to change and start her day.

"Good morning," Grace said as Alex trotted down the stairs.

"How's my favorite little niece or nephew?" Alex asked, walking over to pat Grace's stomach lightly.

"He or she is good," Grace said. "I'm going to go out to get the prenatal vitamins the nurse suggested yesterday. She said they should help a little with the throwing up."

"I forgot to ask yesterday, did they give you a due date yet?" Alex asked, draping her headphones around her neck.

"Yeah," Grace said. "July 5th."

"That's so long!" Alex said, pouting. "I want to go shop for baby clothes."

"How about you focus on school for now instead?" Grace suggested.

"Fine, fine," Alex said, chuckling. "I'm going on a run. Do you need anything?"

"I can still function for myself, Alex," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "Get going."

"Yea ma'am," Alex said, heading to the door. "Call me if you need anything later!"

"I won't," Grace said, laughing. "Bye."

Alex left the house and started her usual three mile loop, and by the time she had returned, Grace had left for classes and Beck was up and dressed.

"You're up early today," she commented, spotting him in the kitchen. "Sorry I woke you up. I usually wake up before the alarm."

"It's fine," Beck said, waving a hand at her. "I usually get up earlier than I have been since coming here."

"Aw, am I ruining your sleep schedule?" She asked, patting the top of his head.

"Yes but I enjoy it," he said, grinning up at her.

"Me too," she said, remembering their hour of making out the night before. "I'm going to get dressed."

"Do you need help?" He asked, smirking at her.

"I think I can manage on my own," she said, smacking his arm as she passed.

* * *

That afternoon the girls blew off rehearsals again, so it was just Robbie, Andre, Beck, and Alex there. The boys helped her pick a song to do, and she ran through it a couple times, then listened as they ran through the songs they were going to do. They didn't sound as good as they would have with the girls in it, but they weren't bad. Alex's phone rang as they were wrapping up the rehearsal.

"Hello," Alex said, smiling as she picked up the phone.

"Someone's happy today," Olivia replied. "Did your sister tell you what I told you yesterday?"

"No," Alex said, putting her things back in her bag. "Just that you were coming by tonight."

"I'm on my way over now," she said. "My news is that I made some calls and a man from RCA records wants to hear your demo."

"Oh my god," Alex said, stopping her motions. "Really?"

"Really," Olivia said, and Alex could almost hear the grin. "I've booked you a recording studio this weekend, and I found a band to play for you. If you work hard you can put together a full demo by Monday and I can send it in."

"I have… an obligation on Saturday," Alex said, turning to look at the boys who all immediately pretended they weren't trying to listen in.

"What time?" Olivia asked, and Alex was glad she didn't seem annoyed.

"Five," Alex said. "I'll be done by nine."

"That's some serious time," Olivia said, sighing. "Any way you can miss school on Friday? You'll need at least five good songs, the more the better."

"Yeah," Alex said, pulling out her homework planner. "I can skip out before lunch, but I have to be here for the morning, I have a test."

"That works for me," Olivia said. "I'll get your band together say, eleven?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "I'll be there. Where should I meet you?"

"You know where Downtown Studio is?" Olivia asked, and Alex resumed putting her things into her bag.

"Yeah, 5th and Sunset," Alex said, zipping her backpack with one hand. "I'll be there around 11:30."

"I'm still coming over," Olivia said. "You need to sign some paperwork to use the studio."

"I'll be home in fifteen minutes," Alex said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"I think we should do a professional photoshoot to get some good head shots for your demo," Olivia said.

"When am I going to have time for that, Olivia?" Alex asked, rolling her eyes.

"How about in an hour?" Olivia asked.

"Where are you going to get a professional photographer on such short notice?" She asked, following the boys out into the hallway.

"I know a guy," Olivia said. "Don't worry about that. Now get home, I'll help you pick out some things to wear."

"I'm not taking out my piercings," Alex said immediately, knowing that would be the next argument.

"But you look so much more approachable without them," Olivia whined. "Please?"

"No," Alex said crossly. "You are awesome and everything, but I'm not budging on this. It's me how I am or not at all."

"I know, I know," Olivia said, sighing. "Love you kid, I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye, Liv," Alex said, then put the phone back into her pocket.

"Are you canceling on us?" Andre asked, looking resigned.

"No," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be there Saturday, just not tomorrow."

"What was that about?" Robbie asked. "It sounded important."

"If I wanted you to know you already would," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "I need to get home."

"Bye," Beck said as she rushed past him. She turned around, walked back, kissed him on the cheek, then left the building, hurrying to her car.

* * *

Olivia helped her pick out four different outfits to wear, then drove her over to some house in Beverly Hills where a very fussy, very gay man and another guy who Alex thought might possibly be his boyfriend or husband, did her hair and makeup, then set her up in a bunch of different poses and took pictures for four hours.

"I'll send these over to you tomorrow," the man, who had a name in French that Alex, who spoke some of the language, still couldn't pronounce. He kissed Olivia on both cheeks, then ushered both of them out of the house.

"He's friendly," Alex commented as they climbed back into Olivia's car.

"He's one of the best," Olivia said, backing out of the driveway. "I had to call in some serious favors to get this shoot."

"I owe you," Alex said, nodding.

"Don't be silly," Olivia said, flapping her hand at Alex. "I really think that this could be your 'big break'. Just remember me when you are doing world tours."

"I won't have to remember you because you'll be on them with me keeping me out of trouble," Alex said, chuckling. The idea of her on a world tour was preposterous.

"That'll be something to see," Olivia said, laughing. "Now," she continued, growing serious. "It'll probably take them about a week to actually get to your demo, which works out nicely because you have that school play all next week. But when they do hear it, they will want to meet you, if they like it. So don't make any plans after school for all of the week after next. You need to keep that time open in case they want to talk to you."

"Okay," Alex said, nodding. "I don't really want to sign a contract with anyone while I'm in school."

"I know," Olivia said. "We can talk that over with them if they offer one."

"Okay," Alex said, looking back out the window as they drove. She played idly with her now straightened hair as she watched the houses grow from mansions back to normal sized family houses. "Are you coming in?"

"Nah," Olivia said, parking the car in Alex's driveway. "I need to get to the studio to set up for tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning. I'll have lunch for you."

"Thank you," Alex said, grinning in through the car door. "You're the best."

"Don't forget it," Olivia said, chuckling. Alex closed the door and waved, then went inside.

"Hey," Alex called, walking inside. A chorus of 'hey's and 'hi's met there from the living room and she narrowed her eyes.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked, her eyes glancing around the room for Grace who was absent.

"Watching a movie," Tori grumbled.

"It's the extended directors cut of The Scissoring," Jade said, gazing up at Moose sappily. Robbie, Andre, and Beck were all sitting together on the far couch, all of them looking very close to pouting, which might have amused Alex if Grace hadn't chosen that moment to come in the front door. Alex glanced at her, then frowned, noting the smeared makeup and tears on her face. Grace glanced up, then froze, noticing all the eyes on her.

"Grace?" Alex asked softly, turning her back on the living room. "What happened?" She held out an arm, intending to usher Grace into the kitchen and away from any eavesdroppers, but Grace just stepped into her embrace and rested her face on Alex's shoulder. Alex smoothed down her hair for a moment, then felt her shirt growing warm from more tears. "Come on," she whispered, turning Grace toward the kitchen. When her sister was sitting at the table, Alex put on some water to boil out of habit. Their mother had always thought that tea could fix any problem when they had been little. Alex glanced once at her sister, then went back to the living room. Beck was just coming into the hallway, probably coming to make sure everything was okay.

"Hey," he said softly, meeting her in the entry way. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Alex said, frowning up at him, then she turned to face the living room and flicked the lights on. "Get out."

"But the movies only half over," Cat said softly, staring up at Moose, whom she was snuggled up against.

"Get the fuck out of my house," Alex repeated, her voice cold now as she marched across the room to the DVD player and took the disc out. She took the disc, the box, and what looked like Jade's bag, then walked over to the front door and opened it, tossing all three things outside, then she started on the shoes by the door, tossing them out too. The others scrambled up to get their things, Moose following behind them. "You can stay," she said, grabbing his arm, then shutting the door on the others.

"Should we leave too?" Beck asked from behind her, his eyes worried.

"No, it's fine, you can stay," Alex said, sighing. "Just go… wherever."

"It's getting late, I'm going to bed," Moose said after a moment.

"Yeah, good idea," Beck said, and the two of them disappeared to the rest of the house. Alex went back into the kitchen and made some tea, then sat down at the table.

"Whats going on?" Alex asked slowly when Grace didn't say anything.

"I talked to Eric today," Grace said. "You know, about everything."

"Oh," Alex said, guessing where this was going. "He wasn't happy?"

"He…" Grace started, and tears spilled over her cheeks. "Accused me of cheating on him. He said that there's no way it could be his. When I insisted he was the only guy I'd slept with in a while, he said I was making that up and we were never together, then he pretended he didn't know me and ignored me for the entire class. When I tried to talk to him afterwords, he just walked past me and didn't say anything."

"What an asshole," Alex said, frowning.

"I don't know if i can raise a baby alone, Alex," Grace sobbed, burying her face in her arms. "What am I going to do?"

"You aren't raising it alone," Alex said, moving to the seat next to her sister to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to help. And you aren't going to be single forever. One day you'll meet a guy who isn't a douchebag."

"Nobody wants to date women who already have kids," Grace cried into Alex's shoulder now.

"Of course they do," Alex said, smoothing a hand over her back. "If they didn't then step-parents wouldn't exist."

"Alex," Grace said into Alex's shoulder. "Should I have an abortion?" Alex's hand froze, but she forced it to continue.

"It's not my decision to make for you," Alex said after a moment. Grace cried for another moment, then sighed and leaned back, wiping her face on her hands.

"I'm not even really considering it," Grace said with a sigh. "I'm just upset."

"I get it," Alex said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's just a lot to worry about," Grace said, finally sipping some of her tea. "Babies are expensive. I don't have very good health care. I know you said you want me to live here but-"

"Stop," Alex said, holding a hand up. "You are the only family I have. You and this little fish," Alex said, gently poking Grace's stomach. "Family takes care of family. If you need anything at all, tell me and I'll help figure it out."

"You can't just give me money," Grace said, shaking her head as she stared into her tea.

"I can and I will, if you need it," Alex said stubbornly.

"You are going to run out of it," Grace argued.

"Then I'll write more songs," Alex said. "I'm making a demo this week for Olivia to pass on to an actual record label. If they like it I could get signed. If they don't like it I'll get a job after school if you want. I'll write songs on my breaks."

"Don't be silly," Grace said, chuckling. "They'll love it."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Alex said, smiling. "I'll become a famous singer and go on world tours and you can live in my giant mansion with 'baby Zeller' and take care of my three pet dogs and on weekends I'll fly all three of us to Paris to go shopping."

"But who will look after the dogs?" Grace said, wiping her eyes as she giggled.

"They'll come to Paris too, silly," Alex said, smiling while she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, sounds like a plan," Grace said, laughing now. Alex smiled.

"Lets go to sleep," Alex said, getting to her feet. "You'll feel better tomorrow. When's your next appointment?"

"December fifteenth," Grace said, standing too.

"Are you telling people yet?" Alex asked as they climbed the stairs.

"I was going to wait," Grace said. "Well, a lot of people on the internet say that you are supposed to wait until the second trimester because so many things can go wrong early on." She rested a hand protectively over her stomach.

"Can I tell Beck?" Alex asked, glancing toward her door.

"Yeah, sure," Grace said, smiling a little. "Just don't tell a bunch of people yet."

"Okay," Alex said, smiling. "I'll see you in the morning."

"I don't think I'm going to class tomorrow," Grace said, shaking her head a little.

"I'm going down to the studio in the afternoon," Alex said, nodding. "I probably won't be home till late. I only have three days to figure out which songs I want to record and then perfect them."

"Okay," Grace said, nodding. "Well I'll see you in the morning probably."

"Still throwing up?" Alex asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "I can't wait for that part to go away."

"Good night," Alex said, hugging Grace one more time, then disappearing into her room.

"So is everything okay?" Beck asked, looking up at her. He was sitting cross legged on her bed, working on homework for some class or other.

"It will be," Alex said, climbing up next to him. "Grace is pregnant."

"Wow," Beck said, surprised. "Is that why she was upset?"

"No," Alex said, her eyes narrowing as she thought about their conversation. "Her boyfriend doesn't want anything to do with her or the baby now."

"That's rough," Beck said, resting a hand on Alex's knee. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah," Alex said, smiling a little now. "I just had to knock some sense into her. It'll be fine."

"Good," Beck said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"I'll be missing some school tomorrow," she said, leaning back against the headboard.

"I heard," he said, closing his textbook. "What for?"

"Olivia, my manager, wants me to make a demo," Alex said, beaming now. "She knows someone at RCA records."

"That's huge," Beck said, smiling over at her.

"It will be, if they like it," Alex said.

"They'll like it," Beck said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her against him. "So is that why you look like you just stepped off a runway?"

"What?" Alex asked, confused.

"Your makeup," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And your hair."

"Oh, right," Alex said. She had forgotten the copious amounts of makeup on her face. "Olivia wanted to do a professional photoshoot. That]s where I've been since rehearsals ended."

"Well you look extremely hot right now," Beck said lowly, leaning in to her.

"So I don't usually look hot?" She asked, pretending to be mad.

"No, I just meant-" he began, looking a little panicked. "I didn't mean that-"

"Calm down I was just kidding," Alex said, chuckling. He relaxed a little but still looked wary. "I need to go wash this shit off my face." She climbed off the bed, making her way into the bathroom. When she came back out she was dressed for bed, and Beck had already turned the lights off. She climbed in to what had become 'her side' of the bed and cuddled up against him, feeling the stress of the day leave her body as he wrapped an arm over her waist.

"You look hot every day," he said, whispering the words against her mouth as he leaned in to kiss her. "You just looked like a different kind of hot today."

"Thank you," Alex said, chuckling. She kissed him back for a moment. "You aren't so bad looking yourself you know."

"I don't know if that was a compliment or not," Beck said, smiling against her lips.

"Take it as one," she suggested, then leaned in to kiss him again.

* * *

"Okay class," Alex's songwriting teacher began, making the previously chatting students fall silent to listen. "We are starting next weeks assignment early because I figured you would all want the weekend to work on it. After last week's presentations I expect a lot from all of you. You will be working in pairs this time." Half the class let out a groan while the other half immediately tried to scoot closer to their preferred partners. "Not so fast!"

"Great, assigned partners," Andre muttered from his seat beside hers.

"Right you are Mr. Harris," the teacher said, pointing to him. "I will be assigning you all partners, but for this assignment we will be pairing up with Ms. Eisner's R&B vocals class. Now, the song you will be writing doesn't have to be R&B, it can be anything you want."

"Mr. Klume?" Ms. Eisner interrupted, poking her head in the door.

"Yes, yes, come in," he said. "My students, line up along the wall," he directed over the sudden noise increase. "The rest of you line up over there. Now, how many of you have friends or know someone in this room not in your class?" He looked around at the show of hands. Most people knew someone else, it wasn't exactly a big school. "Let's start with you," he pointed to Tori. "Who do you know in my class? Just pick one."

"Andre," Tori said, pointing to Andre.

"Great, you two are partners," he said. "And you?"

"Um," Cat said, glancing over the people lined up opposite her. "I know Andre, and Alex, and Danny, and-"

"Lets pair you with Alex," Mr. Klume said, interrupting her. "Next?"

Cat went over to stand next to Alex, smiling excitedly.

"This will be fun won't it?" Cat said in her usual airy voice.

"Loads," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"I can come over to your house and work," Cat said. "And Moose will be there."

"Absolutely not," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I'm busy all weekend."

"Oh," Cat said, looking depressed.

"We can work on it next Monday after rehearsals," Alex said.

"Kay kay," Cat said, perking back up immediately.

When all the others were paired with people they knew, each pair took seats at the tables.

"Now, some rules I think," Mr. Klume said, grinning. "Each student will write a song about the other."

"Great," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"First, everyone take out a sheet of paper," Ms. Eisner said, then waited as they did as they were told. "Now I want you to list out as many things as you can about your partner. Personality wise. Go."

Alex glanced once at Cat, trying to think of something about the girl that would make for a good song. She wrote down as many adjectives as she could think of, all revolving around 'cute' and 'nice'.

"Alright," Ms. Eisner said after a few minutes. "Now I want you to pick the three most general terms from your list and circle them." Alex looked over her list, then circled 'innocent', 'nice', and 'childlike'.

"Now for your assignment," Mr. Klume began, walking around the desks. He picked up Alex's paper to use as and example and she glared at him. "Ms. Zeller here has circled the words innocent, nice, and childlike. Good. So your song must be about the exact opposite."

"So you want me to write a song about a mean, slutty old person?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"If you think that it the opposite of these words then sure," he said, and she rolled her eyes, taking her paper back. "You should try to write a song that still fits in with the personality of your partner, but isn't as obvious as the traits you wrote down. Get to work!"

The class began to murmur about their ideas to each other as both teachers sat on either side of Mr. Klume's desk.

"I wrote down that you are 'standoffish', 'independent', and 'strong'," Cat said, sliding her paper over to Alex.

"Great," Alex said. "You can write a song about how caring and happy I am."

"No, I don't think so," Cat said, not hearing Alex's sarcasm. "I was thinking I'd write something cute though."

"Great," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Mr. Klume?" She asked, raising her voice. "Are we singing the songs our partner writes or do we sing the one we wrote?"

"Good question," he said, looking up from his conversation with the other teacher. "I think you can sing each others songs."

"Fantastic," Alex said with a sigh as the class broke back into chatter.

"Can I hang out with you tomorrow?" Cat asked, looking up at Alex with wide eyes.

"Why" Alex asked, frowning at her.

"Because I have to write a song about your hidden personality and I don't really know that much about you," Cat said simply. "If I spend time around you maybe I will get a good idea."

"I'm busy literally all day tomorrow," Alex said, sighing. "Can't we do this next week?"

"But next week we have play rehearsals," Cat said, frowning. "How am I supposed to learn something about you if you are acting like someone else?"

"Good point," Alex said, frowning in thought.

"So I can hang out with you tomorrow?" Cat asked, perking up.

"No," Alex said, shaking her head. "I… have some work to do."

"Well how about today?" Cat asked eagerly.

"I have stuff today too," Alex said, sighing. "If you promise to just follow me around and not be in the way or talk to anyone you can come with."

"I promise!" Cat said excitedly. "This will be so much fun!"

"I'll be outside the school to pick you up exactly at 2:30," Alex said, sighing as the bell rang. "Don't be late."

"I won't!" Cat said, gathering her things, then darting out the door. This was their last class before lunch, so Alex went straight to her locker to get the books she would need over the weekend, then went out to her car.

By the time 2:30 rolled around, Alex had agreed to let Olivia go pick up Cat from school as she was busy recording the vocals for the song she had written in twenty minutes at Tori's house the week before. Alex hadn't been sure what songs she wanted on the demo so she had let Olivia play recordings of all her past ones for the five band people and let them pick what they liked best.

"Hi hi," Cat said, approaching Alex during a two minute break while the band prepared for another run through of the song.

"Hey Cat," Alex said, turning to the shorter girl. "There's a lounge right over here for you to sit in and watch."

"What are you doing?" Cat asked innocently, staring around at the sound board and equipment with wide eyes.

"Recording some songs," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Wow that's so cool!" Cat said, bouncing on her toes.

"Yeah," Alex said, her mouth twitching up a little in amusement. "If you need anything just ask Olivia," she said, pointing to the woman who had picked her up. "You can talk to her about me too if you need help with your song."

"Kay, kay," Cat said, following Alex over to the little 'lounge' area. "Do you know what you are going to write your song on yet?"

"I haven't thought about it yet," Alex said, shrugging.

"Alex, we're ready in the booth," someone called, and Alex left Cat alone to go back to her recording.

* * *

"Wow, you are really good," Cat said when Alex came out for their next break.

"Thanks," Alex said, plopping down into her chair. "So I had an idea about a song for you while I was recording."

"What is it?" Cat asked, bouncing excitedly.

"What's the worst thing you've ever done," Alex asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, one time I had a secret boyfriend and I didn't tell anyone," Cat said, and Alex chuckled.

"Why not tell?" Alex asked, pulling a water bottle from her bag.

"Well, he was older than me," Cat said quietly.

"How much older?" Alex asked, curious now.

"He was 25 when I was 17," Cat said, peeking up at Alex form under her lashes. Alex laughed for a moment, then tilted her head.

"Wait, aren't you 17 right now?" She asked, and Cat nodded. "Are you still seeing him?"

"Well, sometimes," Cat said. "He has a girlfriend right now though."

"Wait, so you only see this guy in between girlfriends?" She asked, raising both eyebrows in surprise. "Why keep going back to him if he dates other people?"

"I dunno," Cat said, shrugging. "I guess he just makes me feel… older. Like I'm doing something bad."

"Hm," Alex said, thinking as she leaned back in her chair. "Okay." She pulled out a notebook and began to scribble down lyrics.

"Who is the most important person to you?" Cat asked while Alex was writing. "Like, someone you depend on a lot."

"My sister Grace," Alex said automatically, not really listening. "Beck. Olivia."

"Okay," Cat said, smiling widely.

"Alex," Olivia called, walking into the room. "We're back in five."

"Okay," Alex said, scribbling the rest of her thoughts on Cat's song out so she would remember them later.

"We're starting on the next song," Olivia said. "Derek thinks we have enough takes of Stand By You to get a good song."

"Kay," Alex said, flipping her notebook closed and standing.

They recorded late into the day, not finishing until close to eleven.

"Do you need a ride home?" Alex asked Cat as she packed up her things.

"Sure," Cat said, still full of energy.

"I'll take her," Olivia said, overhearing. "You get home and get some sleep. I'll see you here tomorrow at eight."

"Okay," Alex said covering a yawn. "Remember, tomorrow I have to be somewhere at five."

"I know," Olivia said, gesturing for Cat to follow her. "Bye."

When Alex got home the house was dark, so she was quiet as she walked inside and up the stairs. Beck was awake, obviously waiting up for her while he worked on something for class.

"You look tired," he said, chuckling as she dropped her bag in her doorway.

"Thanks," she said, rolling her eyes. "That's what every girl likes to hear."

"Don't worry, it's a beautiful tired," he said, chuckling. She smiled at him, then grabbed her pajamas and went to change while he put his books away.

"I have to get up at seven," Alex said, coming out of the bathroom.

"That's so early," Beck grumbled as she flicked the lights off, then crawled into bed next to him.

"It's later than we get up for school," Alex said, chuckling as she relaxed against him. He wrapped an arm over her waist and she buried her face in his neck with a sigh.

"Yeah but tomorrow is the weekend," Beck said in her ear. "We should be able to stay up late."

"And do what?" She asked, smiling against his skin as his hand slid under her tank top, pushing it a few inches up her back.

"All sorts of things," he whispered, and she shivered at the tone.

"We can do all sorts of things next weekend when we don't have so many other things to do," she said, chuckling.

"We have the play next weekend," he said, sighing.

"Then the weekend after that," Alex said, shrugging a little. "It's not like we are going to run out of time."

"What if you get bored of me before next weekend though?" Beck asked, and she completely missed his joking tone. She pulled away from him to look into his face, meeting his eyes.

"I'm not going to get bored of you," she said seriously. "Ever."

"Oh," he said, blinking.

"Yeah," she said, tucking her face back against him as his hand softly stroked up and down her back. They were both silent for a few moments, and Alex, exhausted from the day, fell asleep before the conversation could continue.

* * *

When she woke the next morning it was to the sun hitting her face, not to her alarm. She resisted groaning at the obviously early hour, not wanting to wake Beck. She crept out of the room, taking her phone with her, and went down to the kitchen.

"Over easy eggs again?" Alex asked, seeing Grace sitting at the table.

"Yeah," Grace said, shrugging. "I've been craving them lately. Your friend is here."

"Which friend?" Alex asked, yawning as she turned on the coffee maker. She didn't usually drink the stuff but she knew she would need it today.

"The small one with cupcake hair," Grace said, chuckling as she scooped a bit of egg to her mouth. "She's in the living room."

"Great," Alex said, rolling her eyes. She went to find Cat, who was sitting quietly on the couch staring off into space. "Cat, why are you here so early?"

"To work on our project," Cat said, grinning at her. "I had some ideas yesterday."

"It's going to be another studio day," Alex warned. "You'll be bored."

"I'm going to hang out with Jade this afternoon," Cat said, smiling up at Alex. "And Tori and I wrote a song for the boys show, but don't tell, it's a secret."

"Are you going to remember to go to the show?" Alex asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes," Cat said. "It's an apology song. Because we blew them off."

"Good," Alex said, approving. "I need to shower and get dressed. Stay here."

"Okay," Cat said, bouncing her heels off the couch as she swung her legs back and forth.

When Alex was clean and dressed, Beck was downstairs keeping Cat entertained.

"Good morning," Beck said when Alex came downstairs.

"Morning," she said, smiling at him as he stood and came over to kiss her.

"Are you still coming to the show?" Beck asked as Alex grabbed her backpack from the floor by the door.

"I've said yes every time you've asked this week," Alex said, chuckling. "I won't forget."

"I'll see you at five then?" He asked, and she nodded, meeting his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah," she said after a few seconds, blinking. "I… I'll be there."

"Good," he said, smiling, and she was finally able to look away.

"Come on Cat," she said, waving towards the door. Cat stood from the couch and skipped to the door, disappearing through it.

"Bye," Beck said, bending down to kiss her. She kissed him back for a few seconds, then smiled up at him as he stroked a thumb over her cheek.

"Bye," she said softly. "Bye Grace," she called into the kitchen. Grace raised a hand in farewell, then Alex left the house.

* * *

"Let's take an hour break for lunch," Derek, the sound producer said around noon. They had finished recording three songs by then, and had three more to go before Monday morning when Olivia was due to send in the demo.

"You guys are great," Alex said, to the band members as they left the booth. She was in a good mood that morning as the excitement of possibly getting signed really sunk in. "Thanks so much!"

"Want to work on your song?" Cat asked as they others left the booth. "I have it almost finished."

"Yeah sure," Alex said, shrugging. "I'm not really that hungry anyway. Let's use the booth so we don't bother anyone else."

"Kay kay," Cat said, skipping into the booth. She handed Alex her lyrics, then sat down at the keyboard and began to play the song, humming the tune of the lyrics as Alex listened, nodding along. She picked it up on the second verse, and Cat sang along with her to keep her on track.

 _"I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in_

 _If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall_

 _And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before_

 _Now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours"_

"So what do you think?" Cat asked when they finished it.

"This is really good," Alex said, surprised. She hadn't guessed that the other girl actually had a talent for songwriting. "I like it a lot."

"Do you think it follows the rules?" Cat asked, looking up with wide eyes. "I noticed this morning that you seem to be afraid of what Beck will do when you tell him you love him, that's what inspired this."

"I…" Alex said, frowning. "Yeah," she settled for, not sure what to say.

"You don't think it works?" Cat asked, her lip quivering.

"No that's not it," Alex said. "I think it works perfectly."

"Yay!" Cat said, her emotions doing a complete turn around. "Let's do it again."

They played through it again, Alex singing all the lyrics this time while Cat played the piano through.

"That was really good, girls," Derek said over the mic, and they looked up, not having noticed he was at the soundboard again. Olivia was standing next to him, nodding and smiling.

"Oh," Alex said, glancing at Cat. "Did you want to use that on the demo?" They both nodded. "Is that okay Cat? I mean, you wrote it."

"You like it that much?" Cat said, beaming as Alex nodded. "Of course you can use it."

"Thank you," Alex said, smiling at the other girl. "Want to hear what I've written for yours so far? I don't have any lyrics but I think I've worked out the music."

"Sure," Cat said, standing to move out of the way. Alex played a cursory piano version of the song she had written. Cat clapped when it was over.

"I like it!" She said, giggling. "What's it going to be about?"

"Your secret boyfriend," Alex said, winking at her. Cat blushed, but didn't say she didn't like the idea, so Alex figured that it was okay.

Cat left after lunch, and Alex finished recording one more song between one and 4:45 when she finally declared that she had to leave.

"I think we can call it done for the day," Derek told her as she gathered her things. "We only have two more songs to finish tomorrow and the band can record without you here tonight, then we can layer the vocals in tomorrow."

"Okay," Alex said, rolling her shoulders as she picked up her backpack. "Thanks Derek."

"No problem kid," he said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," Alex said, walking quickly to her car. She was running a little late, but her song wasn't until after the boys song so she had a little extra time, more if Cat and Tori were doing a surprise song.

When Alex pulled up to the karaoke joint she could hear the music and cheering from outside the building and assumed it must have been going well.

"You're late," Beck said as she joined them and the other boys at their table while Tori and Cat sang.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said, having to speak loudly to be heard over the song. He shrugged but didn't say anything else, instead turning back to the stage to clap along with the song.

"Cat told us you've been recording songs all morning," Andre said when they all sat around a large table twenty minutes later. The boys had done a song, Alex had sung along to two karaoke selections, inviting the other girls up for the second one too, and now Robbie was doing some pretty good magic tricks which the audience seemed to like.

"Oh, yeah," Alex said, shrugging as Jade and Moose finally joined them, making everyone squeeze closer together. Alex was glad to see that the other girls seemed to be back to normal now, instead of hanging off Moose's every word, though they still sent him sidelong glances.

"What are you recording for?" Tori asked, half paying attention to the conversation, half to the magic tricks. Alex sighed, then shrugged.

"I'm just making a demo CD of some songs I wrote," Alex said. "I got lucky and got the use of a professional recording studio for the weekend so I figured I should make the best of it."

"Wow how'd you swing that?" Andre asked, leaning across the table to hear her better.

"Just this girl I know," Alex said, shrugging again. None of what she said was technically a lie, she just made it sound as though it were unimportant. She really didn't want to find out if these people that she had begun considering to be her friend were the kind to want favors when they found out she had connections.

"That's awesome," Andre said, nodding along with a song that had just come on.

"Yep," Alex said, sighing. "So is anyone else singing tonight?"

"Yeah," Tori said, turning her full attention to the table. "There are some other guys from school who have some things picked out."

"Did you guys raise enough money to get another bathroom?" Cat asked, looking over at them all.

"Sure did," Robbie said, grinning. "And a little extra."

"I'm going to get another water," Alex said, standing. She retreated to the bar area then leaned back to listen to the current singer while the bartender helped the people who had been there before Alex had. She glanced at Beck, who was also watching the singer, and sighed. She could tell he was annoyed that she had been late after her promise that morning that she would be there at five. She had only been about fifteen minutes late, but she should have texted or something. She sighed, turning back to the bar. She was already tired from the almost constant process of recording and while she didn't usually care if people were angry with her, the fact that it was Beck seemed to physically pull the energy out of her.

"Hey there," a guy said from beside her, and it took her a moment to realize he was talking to her. She turned to face him, too tired to do much more than glare. He just chuckled. "I've never seen you here before. Where are you from?"

"I've been here before," she said shortly, turning back to the bar in an attempt to wave down the baristas attention while she took a half step away from the guy.

"I'm from North Ridge," he said, stepping closer to her and apparently not caring that she had purposefully stepped away. "That song you did earlier was really good. So you go to Hollywood Arts with the rest of those guys?"

She stepped away from him again, letting out a breath of relief when the bartender came over to her.

"Anyway," the guy said when the bartender stepped away to refill her water glass. "They look really lame, you should come hang out with me and my friends."

"I have a boyfriend," she said shortly, then nearly growled as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"Well it doesn't look like he's doing a good job of keeping you company," he said, standing too close to her. The bartender set her glass down in front of her and she made to grab it, but the arm draped over her shoulder restricted her arm movement.

"Let go," she said, clenching her fists.

"Oh come on," he said, laughing loudly in her ear. "Don't be like that."

Alex took in a deep breath, then released it. She jabbed her elbow back into the guy's stomach sharply, and he hunched over, wheezing for breath. She made her hands into a single fist, then brought it down on the back of his neck while he was bent over, and he fell onto his stomach. She stepped over him to grab her water, then turned to see Beck standing there, looking worried. She glanced between him and the now unconscious guy on the floor, then out at the crowd who had fallen silent.

"Would anyone else like to touch me without my permission today?" She asked sarcastically, glaring around the room. "No? Didn't think so." She turned and walked back to their table, sitting down in her spot as the people in the room went back to their conversations.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked in her ear as he wrapped an arm over her shoulder. The others at the table were making very obvious 'not-eavesdropping' conversation with each other, though Alex doubted any of them would be able to hear them over the music playing now. She nodded, not wanting to look at him in case he was still angry with her from earlier. "That was totally badass." Her mouth twitched up at the corners.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked, turning her head toward him a little more to look up at him from under her lashes.

"Mad at you?" Beck asked, confused. "I wasn't mad at you."

"I thought you were," Alex said, frowning. "I was late, and you weren't talking to me."

"Oh," Beck said, shrugging a little. "I was trying to figure out why you don't want the others to know you have a chance of getting signed to an actual label."

"Oh, haven't I explained this to you before?" Alex asked, frowning as she tried to remember if she had or not.

"If you had I wouldn't be confused now," Beck said, chuckling. "Looks like your friend is waking up." He nodded toward the bar where the North Ridge guy was getting to his feet. The people around him seemed hesitant to help him. He stumbled against the bar, then walked back to his table on wobbly feet where three other guys proceeded to laugh at him, probably for getting beaten up by a girl. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Let's go outside," she said to Beck, loud enough that the others could hear. He nodded and stood, then wrapped his arm possessively around her waist as they walked toward the door. Usually things like that bothered her, she didn't like feeling like she belonged to someone else, but now she tossed a smug grin at the North Ridge table, as though saying 'see? I already belong to someone, and he's way more than you could ever be'.

It had snowed again the night before, though very little of it stuck to the ground, and the chilly air was refreshing as she took a deep breath. She explained to Beck what her classmates in Seattle had done when they had discovered she sold songs to bands, and why she didn't want that to happen with the others.

"I think you did tell me about that before, I forgot," he said, but he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to give her a half hug. "They wouldn't do anything like that."

"I don't want to take the chance," Alex said, shrugging. "I'll tell them all when we graduate and I don't have to see them every day."

"If you think that's best," Beck said, pulling her in so he could hug her fully. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms automatically going around his waist. "Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine," Alex said, pulling back to smile up at him. "I don't think he will put an arm around my shoulders again."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've never done it before," Alex confessed, scuffing the toe of her shoe on the ground. "I've just seen it on TV so many times.

"Well now you know it works," he said, catching her chin in his hand and pulling her face up so he could bend down to kiss her.

By the time they got back to the house that night, Grace was asleep, so the three of them were quiet as they separated to their own rooms. Alex made sure to say goodbye to Moose that night since she would be gone the next day when he left for the airport.

"It's going to be weird sleeping without you here tomorrow," Alex said when her and Beck were cuddled together on her bed.

"Yes it will," he said, chuckling against her hair. "You can come over whenever you want you know. Just so long as my mom doesn't know you stay the whole night."

"Well you can come over here whenever you want too," she said, smiling against his neck, then kissing the spot. He shivered. "And it doesn't matter if anyone knows you stay the night here."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said in a low voice as he rolled over her until he was holding himself above her on his elbows. He leaned down to kiss her deeply, and her hands reached up to tangle in his hair.

"I have to be up early again," she said twenty minutes later when both of their shirts were on the floor and she was in her underwear.

"Don't you always?" He asked, but he pulled the blankets back over them both, laying down beside her.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "I don't mean to lead you on or anything."

"It's okay," he said, his hand stroking up and down her side. She shivered and scooted a little closer to him. "One of us has to be the responsible one."

"That's a new title for me," Alex said, laughing softly. "I'm usually the one who doesn't care about rules."

"I happen to recall a time in fourth grade when you cried because you accidentally dropped a tennis ball down the stairs and broke your moms lamp," Beck said, laughing. "You were worried you would get in trouble because your mom had said 'no throwing in the house'."

"Shut up," Alex said, laughing too. "I was only nine."

"You cried for like an hour," Beck repeated, and she snaked a hand up to cover his mouth. He licked her palm and she jerked it back, grimacing, and wiped it on his shoulder, making him laugh harder.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Hey hey," Alex said, beaming as she sat down at the lunch table on Monday.

"Someone's in a strangely good mood," Andre commented as the others shifted to make room for her between Beck and Cat. "You didn't kill someone did you?"

"Of course not," Alex said, rolling her eyes, but her smile stayed on her face. "Just seriously maimed. He might walk again. Some day."

"I really hope you're joking," Tori said as the whole table stared at her.

"Of course I am," Alex said, chuckling. They continued to stare at her.

"What's got you in this mood then?" Beck asked, speaking for all of them.

"I finished my song for my lyrics class," Alex said. "And I think it's probably the best song I've ever written. I'm really happy with how it turned out."

"Well lets hear it then," Andre said, assuming she had it recorded somewhere.

"It's not done yet," she said, rolling her eyes. "Cat has to sing it."

"Oh right," Andre said. "That assignment."

"Can I see the lyrics?" Cat asked, giving Alex a look. Alex was sure that the other girl didn't want her friends to know about her secret, older, sometimes boyfriend.

"Sure," Alex said, digging them out of her bag. The others leaned over to try to read them over Cat's shoulder, but the red head jumped away from them, guarding the paper as she read. They all watched her read, her eyebrows growing further and further up her forehead until she got to the bottom of the page and came back to the table, handing the paper back to Alex.

"Well?" Andre asked when Cat said nothing.

"I don't think it's appropriate for school," Cat said, glancing at Alex, who shrugged.

"Mr. Klume said I could write a song about a slutty old woman if I wanted to and I think this is way better," Alex said, chuckling.

"He did say that," Tori agreed. "So can we see the lyrics?"

"No," Alex said. "You can hear the song when it's done."

"Can I read them?" Beck asked, giving her his pouting look. She sighed, then held them out to him.

"Favoritism!" Tori accused, pointing to him and scowling.

"Well if you want to make out with me I'll show you some favoritism too," Alex said in a mockingly flirty voice. Robbie squeaked, staring between them with wide eyes.

"I protest," Beck said, not looking up from the paper.

"Fine,"Alex said with a fake disappointed sigh. "Next time, love." She winked at Tori who laughed as Robbie let out another 'eep'.

"This is… really something," Beck said after a minute, handing the paper back to her.

"Oh come on, give us something better than that," Andre said dramatically. "One adjective?"

"Go on," Alex told Beck, smirking a little.

"Uh," he said, thinking. "It's very sexy." The table fell silent for a moment, trying to imagine what kind of song Alex had written.

"I thought these songs still had to fit your partners personality, just not the obvious traits," Tori said, frowning in confusion.

"I think it does," Alex said, shrugging. "What makes you think Cat can't be sexy?" They all glanced at Cat who looked up at them with overly innocent eyes as she nibbled on the end of a piece of broccoli. She blinked at them, and they all decided to change the subject.

"Have you heard back from… Olivia yet?" Beck asked when the others were all busy talking.

"It's only been a few hours," Alex said, pulling her phone out to check her texts. She had no new ones. "Oh yeah, Grace game me permission to tell people about the baby."

"What about a baby?" Jade asked, finally joining the table.

"What?" Cat asked, looking up from her salad. "I love babies!"

"My sister's pregnant," Alex said, grinning at them.

"Gross," Jade said.

"That's so exciting!" Tori said, ignoring Jade. "Boy or girl?"

"She doesn't find out for another couple of months," Alex said, smiling. The conversation drifted for a few minutes until the bell rang.

"Are we starting dress rehearsals in class today?" Robbie asked as they all made their way to Sikowitz's class.

"I'm not sure," Tori said, pushing the door open for them all.

"Alright let's rehearse the scene with Jade, Cat, Robbie, and Alex," Sikowitz said as soon as they entered the room. "You background people, to your places! The rest of you can just sit and wait."

Beck gave Alex a kiss on the cheek as they parted ways, and she smiled at him for a moment, then went to the front to take her place as the others prepared to be bored for the rest of the class. Many of the sound and lighting people, which was most of the class, were doing checks of their equipment and some of the sets were still being finished. They ran through the scene once, then began it a second time under Sikowitz's eye as he pointed out things they needed to work on.

Cat giggled at certain scenes when she wasn't supposed to, which made Alex roll her eyes, and Sikowitz sigh. They were interrupted by Tori, who was playing some funny video on her phone which the others were laughing at. As Sikowitz turned around to chastise them, Alex felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, so she pulled it out to read the text message. It was from Olivia, simply stating that she had gotten confirmation that the demo would be listened to sometime this week.

"Jimminy Crackers!" Sikowitz said, getting to his feet. Alex looked up, not having been listening to the conversation. "I'm trying to teach you kids something about-" Andre's phone rang, cutting off whatever the man had been about to say.

"One second," Andre said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. Alex leaned over the prop counter, resting her head in her hands as she waited. She took the slightly unscheduled break to text back Olivia, then to ask Grace if they needed anything from the grocery store on her way home.

"Hang up that phone, right now," Sikowitz said sternly, and Alex looked up to see Andre looking slightly guilty. I'm getting sick and tired of-" He was cut off again as everyone's phones began to ding or chime. Alex's buzzed on the prop table, she picked it up, then laughed at the image of Robbie wearing a girls 'My Little Pony' t-shirt.

"Okay that does it!" Sikowitz yelled, waving his hands around dramatically.

"What?" Tori asked innocently, looking up.

"You people are sick!" Sikowitz said, continuing to be dramatic.

"I feel pretty good," Cat said from her seat next to Robbie.

"I'm talking about your addiction to your stupid phones!" He said, sounding exasperated. "I swear you can't go two minutes without…" He began making some very weird cell phone noises with his mouth while pretending to text. Alex rolled her eyes, then glanced down at the short list Grace had sent her of things to get. Alex replied that she would be home in a while.

"Oh come on," Tori said, leaning forward in her seat. "I don't think it's fair to say we're 'addicted' to them."

"Ho ho ho ho, very well," Sikowitz said, getting that excited expression on his face that he always got when he was about to challenge them to something. Alex, guessing what it would be this time, texted both Grace and Olivia that she probably wouldn't have her phone on her for the next few days, then as a second thought, texted Olivia to forward all of Alex's calls to her own phone. "Then I challenge you all."

"Alright," Robbie said, standing up and pulling his shirt over his head. Alex stifled a laugh. "Let's fight," he said, then began to jump around in a very bad imitation of a fist fight.

"I don't think he means a fight," Andre said, shaking his head. Robbie glanced around at them all, then slowly went back to his place beside Cat and put his shirt back on.

"I will give each and every one of you all A's for the whole semester," Sikowitz began, and they all looked up with interest.

"If?" Tori asked slowly. Alex sighed as Olivia texted back questions, then told Olivia that she could still be contacted through Grace.

"If you can all go one full week without using modern technology," Sikowitz said.

"Uh, I still have a song to record for an assignment in my lyrics class," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not failing that class for your bet."

"Yes alright," he said impatiently. "If it's for an assignment for class you can use the recording room here at school but only here!"

"Great," Alex said sarcastically.

"No phones?" Cat asked, just having caught up.

"No phones!" He yelled at her, and she shrunk back a little. "And no laptops or pear pads. No electronic device made since I was born. Wanna take that bet?" They all looked at each other, exchanging glances until Tori stood.

"Let's do it," she said, speaking for the group. Sikowitz held his hand out for her to shake, and she did so.

"Great," he said, stepping back and making a little basket out of his shirt. "Let's have your phones." Alex switched hers off, then walked forward to drop it into his shirt. "And the contest begins now!" He said enthusiastically. They made a little chorus of 'great' and 'yay's that sounded far too sarcastic as they all returned to their places.

"Wait," Jade said, smirking. "How will you know we're not using other peoples phones?"

"Because I trust your honesty," Sikowitz said, straight faced. Alex snorted, exchanging a glance with Jade, who also looked amused. "And I'm going to have Sinjin and Berf spy on you."

"It's you and me baby!" Sinjin called up to the catwalk where Berf was eating a yellow pepper as though it were an apple. Alex just shook her head as Sikowitz directed them back into rehearsals.

* * *

"Cat!" Alex called as they wrapped up their rehearsals. The small girl turned around, looking up at Alex curiously. "I recorded the music for my lyrics class song, want to record the vocals now?"

"Sure," Cat said, grinning. "But I'll need to call my brother and ask if he can pick me up later."

"I'll drive you home," Alex offered, assuming that Cat had already forgotten they couldn't use phones. "I'll meet you in the recording room in five."

"Kay kay," Cat said, then skipped off down the hall. Alex went out to the lobby where she knew Beck would be waiting for her.

"Hey," she said, opening her locker. He was leaning against some lockers a couple down from hers, posing. She smiled, but didn't want to point it out. She secretly liked his poses, they made him look alluring, which was probably what he was going for. Her favorite one was when he tilted his head down and looked up at her through his eyelashes, hunching his shoulders a little. That look made her immediately want to forgive him for whatever he had done, which she was glad he didn't know or he would use it all the time.

"Hey," Beck said, stepping a little closer to her. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Maybe," she said, raising an eyebrow at him as she pushed her hair out of her face. She began sorting the books she would need to take home, stuffing them into her bag.

"You're about to record that song, right?" Beck asked as she shut her locker.

"Yeah," Alex said, smiling up at him. "Cat's waiting for me. Why?"

"Can I stay and listen to it?" Beck asked, and she frowned.

"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"I am curious to know how it sounds," he said, shrugging.

"Okay," she said after a moment, shrugging. "It won't take that long. I got the band from my studio to help record the music yesterday after we were done with the demo."

"Cool," Beck said, then frowned. "If you don't have your phone won't you miss when they call you about it?"

"No," Alex said, glancing around them to make sure Sikowitz and his spies weren't nearby. "Before I gave my phone over I told Olivia to forward all my calls and messages to her phone. She will call Grace if anything important happens."

"You are devious," Beck said, chuckling as they stopped outside the recording room door. "And that is totally cheating."

"No it isn't," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "He never said anything about having other people manage your life for you. That's what I pay Olivia for after all."

"Well aren't you just the important big star," he said, chuckling as he reached a hand out to cup the side of her face. He ran a thumb over her cheekbone and sighed.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head into his hand a little more.

"Its still a little weird that I get to do this now," Beck said, stepping closer to her. "Anytime I want." He leaned in to kiss her and her arms went around his neck. "I would have killed to be allowed to kiss you when we were in eighth grade."

"You literally could have just asked," Alex said, grinning up at him.

"Really?" He asked softly, kissing her cheek. She pulled him into a hug, sighing as his arms went around her waist.

"Really," she said after a moment, pulling away from him. "Now come on, Cat is waiting."

* * *

"You have an amazing voice," Alex said an hour later. Cat grinned up at her, bouncing in place. "It's perfect for this song."

"Thanks," Cat said happily. "Do you think it turned out okay?"

"Definitely," Alex said, stuffing her things back into her bag. "I think we both get an A for this assignment."

"So Cat already wrote a song based on you?" Beck asked from his seat against the wall behind them, and both girls jumped, having forgotten he was there.

"Yep," Cat said, grinning. "It's on her demo CD."

"Really?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow at Alex. "Can I hear it?"

"No," Alex said immediately. He pouted, and she rolled her eyes.

"Why not?" He asked, trying to look sad, but his mouth was twitching in amusement.

"Because its a secret," Cat said before Alex could come up with a good excuse. It wasn't really a secret, it wasn't even a dramatic love song or something like that, it was actually quite simple. But maybe it was because it had been written about Alex's life, she felt like it was really personal.

"What's a secret?" Beck asked Cat, focusing on the sometimes gullible girl.

"That Alex-" Cat began, but covered her mouth, looking at Alex with wide eyes.

"Time to go," Alex said, grabbing Cat's arm and tugging her out the door. "I'll see you later Beck."

"Bye," he said, lifting a hand and chuckling as they passed him.

* * *

The next morning felt quiet to Alex, and she didn't realize until lunch time that it was because she didn't have her phone on her. She hadn't realized she used it so often until she didn't have it anymore. Her fingers tapped against the table, itching to make a note on her phone about the earlier idea she'd had for a new song.

She hadn't seen very much of the others this morning, just a little in class, and she hadn't spoken to any of them. It was almost December, which to the students meant they only had a month till Christmas break, but to the teachers it meant they only had a month until semester exams, so the lectures had become more in depth in most classes, or maybe it just seemed that way to Alex because she didn't have anything else to do in class without her phone.

She joined the others at their table for lunch, taking her place between Beck and Robbie in silence. They weren't talking to each other, but every one of them was doing something. Jade was tapping her fork anxiously on the table, Tori was tapping her fingers, Cat was staring around at them all sadly. Even the boys looked twitchy. Beck was bouncing his leg up and down, and she rested a hand on his thigh to get him to stop. He glanced at her apologetically, and she smiled at him encouragingly.

"I don't even miss our phones," Andre said, breaking the silence of their table. "Do you guys?"

There was a chorus of 'no's around the table, all of which sounded false. Alex shook her head.

"How long has it been since we had them?" Tori asked, looking slightly forlorn.

"Like twelve hours," Jade said, still tapping her fork.

"Seems like years," Cat said sadly.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Robbie said, trying to comfort her.

"Years!" Cat shouted back.

"Well uh, one good thing," Andre began, looking around at them. "You know, about not having our phones; it makes us pay more attention, to the world around us."

"Yeah," Jade began, glancing at the other people in the courtyard. "Like, I've never really noticed this before, but a lot of the kids that go to Hollywood Arts are really not very good looking." Alex snorted, taking a bite of her salad.

"Well, I've noticed some things that aren't cruel to say out loud," Tori said, rolling her eyes at Jade, who just shrugged.

"Like?" Beck prompted, probably trying to stem the impending argument.

"Like," Tori paused, looking behind them. "Look. Look, there's the Hollywood sign, right there," She said, pointing to the distant hills." We can see that from our school. That's… it's really cool." She lost heart at the end of her sentence, clearly knowing that wasn't a good enough replacement for their phones.

"Yeah," Beck said, patting her back sympathetically.

"And here's another cool thing," Robbie said, making some strange hand movement as he spoke. "You guys know how usually keep my phone in my shirt pocket, here?"

"No," Alex said, rolling her eyes as she took another bite of lettuce. Beck patted her leg then, keeping her from further comment as the others gave fake 'yes's.

"Well now I'm using this pocket to carry cheese, and my allergy pills," Robbie said, grinning at them.

"Uh, won't the cheese melt in your pocket?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No the cheese won't melt-" Robbie began imperiously, pulling a stick of half melted cheese from his shirt, then dropping it on the table with a odd sound of disgust as the others shook their heads.

"Gross," Tori said as Beck held out some napkins for Robbie.

"I miss my phone," Cat whined. "What do you think it's doing right now?"

"Probably dying of neglect," Alex commented sarcastically.

"Oh no, you think so?" Cat asked, but the others ignored her as Alex shook her head.

"Come on Cat, we can do this!" Tori said, setting her soda down decisively. "Let's try to not even think about our phones."

"Okay, but-" Cat began, but at that moment, Sinjin came running between the tables.

"Hey everyone!" He was shouting, looking around at them all excitedly. "Look at your phones! Look at your phones! Look at your phones!" He skipped around each table, yelling until everyone had their phones out except their table. "There's a new funny video on SplashFace! Just go on SplashFace and look up 'Wacky Donkey'. It's hilarious!"

They all exchanged looks as everyone else in the courtyard began watching their phones and Cat made a distressed sort of whine.

"You guys, come on," Tori said, rolling her eyes. "It's just another one of those videos, you know. I'm sure it's not _that_ funny-" She was cut off as everyone around them broke into laughter, and Sinjin, behind them, threw up from laughing so hard. They fell back into silence as lunch continued.

"I never realized how much I rely on my phone before today," Alex said after a moment. "I always thought I didn't really use it that much, but I guess I didn't even notice how convenient it is."

"Yeah," Jade agreed as the others nodded. "Without it I have to talk to you people. And most of you are boring."

"Love you too," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "But think about it, ten years ago cell phones were these giant, blocky things that couldn't even fit in your pocket, and all they did was make calls. Now we have internet and texting and everything in a tiny little piece of technology."

"This isn't helping," Tori said with a sigh. Alex shrugged, turning back to her food.

"Hey, what year do you think Sikowitz was born?" Alex asked a few moments later.

"I dunno," Andre said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Well, he said we couldn't use anything made after he was born," Alex said, thinking.

"Well he's gotta be about 40," Robbie chimed in. "If I had my pear pad I could look up his birthday in the teacher/student directory."

"Well you don't," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "So why even mention it? Anyway, if we say he's about 40, that means we can use anything made before 1975."

"So?" Jade asked, sighing. "That's like nothing."

"So, the IBM DOS computer was invented in 1974," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "The internet was invented in the 60's, though it wasn't for the public until the 80's, and cell phones were made in 1973. And camera's were invented in like the 1600's."

"Why do you know all of that?" Andre asked after they had all stared at her for a few moments.

"I wrote a paper about technological advances in the last century for my history class sophomore year," Alex said, shrugging.

"Okay, but that doesn't help us at all," Tori said, sighing. "Our cell phones weren't invented until this year."

"I'm just making conversation to keep you all distracted from the fact that you don't have your phones," Alex said, shrugging, and they all groaned again at the reminder. They stood as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, and went their separate ways to class.

Sitting in their shared History class that afternoon, Alex thought hard about the various things that they technically were still allowed to use. She knew that Grace had a few vintage camera's from the time a few years ago when she had been interested in photography, maybe she could bribe her sister to let her use one. Learning how it worked would keep her entertained enough to forget she didn't have her phone, and if nothing else, she would have fun documenting what was bound to be a struggle of the others going without their things.

That afternoon between classes and rehearsals for the play, they had a free hour. She was standing at her locker waiting for Beck when Andre came in, an old record player hoisted over his shoulder.

"Whatchya got there?" She asked, walking out to meet him as he came in the doors.

"It's a record player," he said.

"Yeah, I know that," sh said, rolling her eyes. "I meant, why are you carrying it around like a boombox?"

"Oh, well I was thinking about what you said at lunch about old technology, and I remembered my grandma had this," Andre said, grinning. "I need to listen to my music."

"And your grandma actually has records to use with it?" Alex asked, noticing that he wasn't carrying any.

"Sure," Andre said, moving a hand out from under the record player to hold up three vinyls. "Circus music, Chinese beatboxing, and some other crap. It's terrible."

"You think that's terrible?" Robbie asked from the floor beside them. They looked down, not having seen him before. He was typing what looked to be a class assignment on an old typewriter. Alex squatted down to look at it, turning it on the floor a little. "Try writing on this."

"What is it?" Andre asked, coming closer.

"Some sort of prehistoric typing machine," Robbie said, frustrated. "And it takes me ten minutes to type two words."

"That's low," Andre said. Alex rolled her eyes.

"I know," Robbie said, then scoffed. "And guess how you fix mistakes. With this!" He held up a bottle of white-out. "Paint! A little tiny bottle of white paint! Whenever I wanna change anything, I have to paint over it with this, let it dry, then type over the dried paint!"

"It's called white-out," Alex said, sitting beside Robbie and pulling the typewriter over in front of her. "And this is called a typewriter. Haven't you heard of them?"

"No," Robbie said, crossing his arms.

"My mom has one," Alex said, letting her fingers brush over the keys. "She's an author. She used to type on one for fun."

"So you know how to use it?" Robbie asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Sort of," Alex said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Will you help me? I have to turn this paper in before Mrs. Abenta leaves for the day if I want my extra credit," Robbie said, staring at her pleadingly.

"What's in it for me?" Alex asked, surpassing a smirk.

"Um, I dunno," Robbie said. "What do you want?"

"A Chai latte every day before school for two weeks," Alex said, grinning.

"Okay, deal," Robbie said.

"Tell me what you want me to type," Alex said, leaning over to place her fingers on the long keys. Andre watched for a minute as Robbie recited what he wanted written and Alex typed it, much slower than she would have on a computer, but still faster than two words per ten minutes.

It was only a one and a half page paper, so they had it done within the hour and Robbie rushed off to hand it in. Alex got to her feet, then hoisted up the heavy typewriter.

"Ready for rehearsals?" She asked, nodding her head down the hall, indicating that Andre should walk with her.

"Yes," he said, perking up a little. "We are doing the fight scenes today."

"Great," Alex said, walking slower than usual due to the weight of the type writer. Robbie caught up to them outside the theater doors, and Alex shoved the typewriter into his arms, then went into the room, not bothering to hold the door open for the two boys.

"Hey," Beck said as she sat beside him. "Where have you been?"

"Getting free coffee every morning for the next two weeks," she said, smiling at him, then leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Do I want to know?" Beck asked, tangling her hand in his.

"I helped out Robbie," she said, waving her free hand towards where the other boy had set down the typewriter. "I typed his paper on that and he owes me coffee."

"I see," Beck said, chuckling. "Didn't your mom have one of those?"

"Yeah," Alex said, chuckling. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Sikowitz cut them off, entering the room right before Tori, Cat, and Jade did. All three of them looked jittery, and none of them spoke.

"Alright," Sikowitz said, pointing to Robbie and Andre and a few other boys in that area. "Boys, go get into your costumes, it's time to fight!" They rushed off, Beck joining them. They had been looking forward to this rehearsal for days now, and Alex, Tori, and Jade took seats in the audience to watch. Cat, who was playing the role of a male in the play, went to get her costume too, though she didn't fight, just stood in the background mostly.

Alex had to admit, after an almost two hours of watching the boys do the fight scenes in dress, it looked pretty good. The funniest thing turned out to be Cat. Since she was obviously missing her phone, Sikowitz had decided to taunt her by putting the box with their phones in it on the center of the prop table. Cat, who was supposed to be a background fighter, kept making runs for the table, but the boys stopped her each time and managed to do so without stopping the scene. They would see her seeking closer to the box and one of them would either stand in her way while delivering their lines or they would use their swords to block her way.

That evening Alex spent almost three hours hanging out with Beck, but all they did was work on their History paper. It took a lot longer to look things up without google, and even though their text books had a glossary and index, writing their paper was much more time consuming than usual.

"Are you staying over tonight?" Alex asked Beck as he turned a page in his text book.

"I can't," he said without looking up. "I need to be home tomorrow morning when my mom goes in to work."

"Okay," Alex said with a sigh. It had only been two days since Moose had left and Beck had gone home, but she already didn't like sleeping without him.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking up at her tone.

"It's fine," she said, smiling. "It's just kinda weird not having you here."

"We've only been dating for a week," he said, chuckling. "But I know what you mean."

"It's been more than a week," she said, frowning in thought.

"A week and a half," he said, shrugging. "It feels like longer."

"Yes it does," she said, turning back to her textbook.

"What are you guys doing for Christmas?" Beck asked a few minutes later.

"I'm not sure," Alex said, glad to have an excuse to look up from her book. "I think we are just going to have a little family dinner. Grace might want to drive up to see mom."

"Well, my mom always has a Christmas party," Beck said. "This year it's on Christmas Eve. You and Grace are invited, if you want to come."

"I'd love to," Alex said, smiling. "I'll ask Grace when she gets home."

"That's right," Beck said, glancing around as though he had only just noticed that Grace wasn't there. "Where is she?"

"Work I think," Alex said, shrugging. "She usually gets off at eight."

"It's almost nine," Beck said, glancing at the watch he had acquired to use while they didn't have their phones.

"She should be back any minute then," Alex said, glancing out the window. "And I think I'm done with this for today. Want to work on it tomorrow too?"

"Sure," Beck said, closing his book. "So Andre and Robbie want to change the bet."

"To what?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They think Cat is going to make everyone lose," he began, chuckling. "I think so too."

"So what?" Alex asked, frowning. "Are we kicking her out of the bet?"

"No," Beck said. "They are going to ask Sikowitz to change it to boys versus girls."

"Oh," Alex said. "So we will be on opposite teams then."

"Yeah," Beck said, giving her a half smile. "No hard feelings when we win?"

"What makes you think you are going to win?" Alex asked, smirking as she stood from the table. "Robbie is going almost as crazy as Cat is without his pear pad."

"True," Beck said, chuckling.

"Are you going to tell on me?" Alex asked, frowning for a moment. "That I'm having my calls forwarded?"

"No," Beck said, standing too. "I know why you're doing it."

"Because I like cheating," Alex said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not really cheating," Beck said, grabbing her hands in his own. "More like going around the system."

"Olivia hasn't told me anything about any messages anyway," Alex said softly, looking down at their hands.

"Are you worried about the record label?" Beck asked, tugging her closer to wrap an arm over her shoulders. She sighed into his chest, her arms going around his waist.

"Sort of," Alex said. "I mean, Grace is pregnant. That's huge. She keeps worrying about money, and it's not like we don't have enough, but it would be nice to have a contract just to show her that I have guaranteed income for a while."

"It'll be fine," Beck said, rubbing a hand down her back. "They'll love your demo."

"Thanks," she said softly, not wanting to argue that he couldn't possibly know for sure.

"I'm home!" Grace called, and Alex stepped back from Beck as her sister poked her head into the kitchen. "Getting your schoolwork done I see," she said, wriggling her eyebrows. Alex rolled her eyes, but Beck chuckled.

"I was just leaving," Beck said, turning back to the table to collect his books.

"You can stay anytime you want, you know," Grace called as she climbed the stairs.

"See even my sister wants you to stay the night," Alex said, smiling up at him.

"Maybe tomorrow," Beck said, leaning down to give her a slow kiss.

"See you at school," Alex said when he had pulled away and started toward the door.

* * *

"What's that?" Tori asked the second she sat down beside Alex. The school day had seemed longer than ever, and Alex had spent her last class, English, fiddling with the old camera she had taken from the attic. Unfortunately she had shared the class with Tori, who was overly social at worst, and when she was curious it was even more annoying.

"Take a guess," Alex said, rolling her eyes as she snapped a picture of the other girl, then caught the Polaroid that popped out of the bottom. She waved it around a bit, letting it develop, then handed it to Tori.

"That's really cool!" Tori said, looking at the picture. Even though Alex had caught her unaware, Tori still looked as though she had posed for the picture. "How old is that?"

"It's from 1972," Alex said, resetting the camera. "It's a Polaroid SX-70. My sister got it for a vintage photography class she took a few years ago."

Cat walked into the theater room and straight passed them, squeezing a squeaky dog toy in the shape of a phone as though she were texting on it.

"Who are you pretending to text?" Tori asked, following the other girl up to the front of the room where they both began to pace. Alex looked back down at her camera.

"My brother," Cat said, smiling at Tori.

"Can I pretend to text him?" Tori asked, holding her hand out for the toy. Cat shrugged and handed it over, and Tori began squishing it too.

"I can't take it!" Jade said, storming into the room. "I can't take this!"

"Want me to rub your shoulders?" Berf asked, materializing at the end of the row of chairs Alex was sitting in.

"Down!" Jade screamed at him, and he dropped to lay on the floor. Alex moved her feet so she was sitting cross legged, but otherwise ignored him.

"What's your problem?" Tori asked, glancing up from her 'texting' for a couple seconds.

"Do you know what they are showing live right now on funny danger dot com?" Jade asked rhetorically.

"What?" Cat asked, looking worried.

"A roller coaster got stuck at Mystic Mountain and there's an old lady hanging upside down from it," Jade said, anxiously pacing a couple feet, then turning back to go the other way.

"Oh my gosh!" Tori said, looking worried. "Is it someone you know?"

"No!" Jade yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "It's someone I wanna laugh at! But I can't watch the live video because of our stupid bet with Sikowitz."

"Alright boys, girls, and…" He trailed off, looking at Berf who was laying on the floor. "Others," he finished, walking up to the front of the room. Robbie and Andre trailed behind him silently as Sikowitz set the box of phones on the prop table for Cat to stare at. "Lets get this rehearsal started!" He said as everyone took a seat. Alex looked around, brows furrowed.

"Where's Beck?" She asked Andre, who was sitting closest to her. He shrugged.

"We're going to start with scene 14," Sikowitz continued, looking down at his script.

"Oh my god," Tori said, making everyone turn towards her. Alex was out of her seat instantly, jumping over Berf, still on the floor, to meet Beck at the door. His jacket was covered with what looked like broken eggs, and he had scratch marks on his face that were bleeding a little.

"Oh man," Andre said, getting up. "What happened to you?"

"Jessica Baxter," Beck said, glancing over at Alex. "She texted me about a hundred times last night and I didn't text her back." Alex frowned, but reached up to tilt his face so she could see his scratches better.

"Well did you explain to her that you can't use a phone?" Tori asked.

"I'll explain it to her for you," Alex offered, her voice sour. "You're still bleeding."

"Yeah," Beck said, both to Tori and Alex. "Right after she threw this egg at me and scratched my face." He brushed off the parts of the egg he could, letting them fall on the floor.

"Aw," Sikowitz said in a mocking tone. "Did Becky get eggied and scratchied?"

"Yes, he did-ied," Beck said, grabbing a nearby cloth to try to clean off his jacket.

"Listen," Sikowitz said, tilting their box of phones so they could see inside. "If you all wanna use your phones…" He sniffed the box. "They're right here."

Cat let out a little gasp from the front row, then she jumped up with a scream and lunged, the others all jumping up to restrain her. Alex tugged Beck's arm so that he followed her to the back row of chairs and sat down, then she wiped the rest of the egg off his jacket, ignoring the screaming and wrestling coming from the others.

"Are you okay?" She asked, tilting his face towards hers again so she could see his scratches. They had stopped bleeding.

"Yeah," Beck said, patting her knee. "But I think we need to update our SplashFace pages."

"What?" Alex asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Jessica Baxter wouldn't have been texting me if she'd known I had a girlfriend," Beck said, smiling a little.

"Yes she would have," Alex said, frowning. "She's a gank. But I agree. As soon as we get our phones back we can change our pages."

"I need to clean off my face," Beck said, lifting a hand to his cheek.

"Don't touch it," Alex said, pushing his hand away. "It might still be bleeding. Come on, I know where the first aid kit in here is."

"Shouldn't we help?" Beck said, gesturing to where Cat was now suspended between the others, no part of her touching the floor as she fought to get her phone.

"Nah," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "They got it."

"See!" Andre called a second later as they got Cat into a seat. "I knew it. I told you the girls would crack before us."

"Yeah," Robbie said, slightly out of breath from having to restrain Cat. "And us guys don't want to lose our A's just because the girls are weak."

"Weak?" Tori said incredulously.

"He might have a point," Cat said, pouting still.

"That's garbage," Jade said. "You guys are just as desperate for your precious technology as we are."

Alex and Beck joined the now separated groups as the guys sneered at them. The girls sneered back, mocking them.

"You all wanna cancel the bet?" Sikowitz asked, frowning at them.

"No!" Tori said immediately.

"No," Andre seconded.

"Possibly," Cat said, flipping her hair back from her face.

"We just don't want the girls to wreck it for us," Andre said, turning back to Sikowitz.

"Exactly," Robbie said, shrugging.

"Right," Beck agreed.

"Okay," Sikowitz said, walking around the guys so he was in the center of the room. "Then let's change the bet. Boys against the girls."

Alex frowned at him, remembering that Beck had said it exactly that way when he had told her about their plans last night. She glanced at the boys who all looked smug, then understood that they had somehow gotten the teacher on their side.

"Whoever uses a phone, or any modern technology first, loses the bet for their side," Sikowitz explained.

"It's on," Andre said.

"It's on," Tori echoed smugly, hands on her hips.

"Just to be clear I am on the boys side?" Robbie asked sheepishly.

"Yes," Sikowitz said, his arms crossed.

"Sweet!" Robbie said, pumping his arm in a victory motion. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Can I get up now?" Bert asked, starting to stand from where he had spent the last ten minutes laying face down on the floor.

"No!" Jade snapped without looking at him, and he dropped back down immediately.

"Rehearsals start in fifteen minutes children," Sikowitz called, walking back to the set. "Costumes!"

They all went backstage to the costume room to change, and Alex once again tugged on Beck's arm to make him follow her toward the makeup table, where the first aid kit was stored.

"These aren't deep scratches," she said a moment later as he winced when she used a paper towel to clean them with peroxide. "Jessica Baxter is the one with blonde hair that she always wears in a braid, right?"

"Yeah," Beck said, then frowned. "Why?"

"She has a pretty face," Alex murmured as she put a bandage over his scratches.

"Not really," Beck said, raising an eyebrow at her. "It's kind of squished up."

"Sure," Alex said, giving him a half smile. "Go get in costume."

"I'll see you in a minute," he said, standing and touching his cheek. He leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips. As soon as he was out of sight, Alex let her smile fall and turned to the back exit of the room, sneaking out it while the others were all changing. She walked towards the courtyard where a lot of kids met up after school, hunting down one particular person.

Jessica Baxter was on the edge of the yard, chatting animatedly with the two girls that seemed to follow her everywhere. Alex walked over to her, a large fake smile on her face, and tapped the girls shoulder.

"What?" Jessica asked, turning around with her hands on her hips. Alex swung her arm, punching the girl straight in the jaw. As she hunched over, hands on her face, her friends crowded around her. Alex turned and left without a word as Jessica let out a very over exaggerated sob.

Alex was back in the costume room as the others started to emerge.

"Aren't you going to get changed?" Tori asked, spotting Alex as the other girl grabbed her 'princess' dress.

"I need help doing up the laces," Alex said, shrugging.

"Well come here, I'll do them," Tori said, gesturing.

Two minutes later they were in their places, just starting the rehearsal when the doors burst open.

"You crazy bitch!" Jessica shouted, storming up the middle aisle and pointing at Alex.

"I'm sorry," Alex said in a pleasant voice, feeling very satisfied as she spotted the bruise and scratches her rings had left on the other girl. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes!" Jessica screeched, then cupped her jaw as though it hurt, which Alex assumed it probably did. The blond girl turned to Sikowitz, her entire demeanor radiating a 'helpless victim' now. "That… girl, just came up to me an punched me in the face for no reason!"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Alex said, looking at her nails as though she were bored. "I've been changing into my costume for this dress rehearsal."

"Alex," Sikowitz started, rubbing his forehead as though he wasn't even surprised. "Did you punch Jessica?"

"No," Alex said, smirking as she left the stage area to stand across from the other girl. "Though that bruise looks pretty nasty there. Must have been a pretty bad fall."

Jessica let out a wordless scream and launched herself at Alex, grabbing onto her hair. Alex's head was jerked to the side as Jessica pulled hard, and Alex's hands scrambled against the other girl's face, leaving a couple more scratches before the others pulled them apart.

"Detention, both of you," Sikowitz said. "Tomorrow during lunch." Jessica screeched and turned, storming out of the room. Alex freed herself from Andre, who had been holding her away from the other girl, then began to fix her hair.

"Alex," Sikowitz said, turning to her in disappointment. "It's not nice to punch people."

"Oh good," she said in a fake relieved voice. "If I was nice she might think I'm her friend or something."

"I give up," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "Back to rehearsals."

"Alex," Beck began, his voice low so the others wouldn't hear him.

"I'm not apologizing," Alex said, not wanting to look up at him.

"Do you remember our conversation from last week about my not having any reason to be jealous?" Beck asked, and she finally looked up at him, her face a little worried.

"Yeah?" She said slowly, not sure what he was getting at.

"That goes the other way too," he said softly.

"Places!" Sizowitz yelled at them. Alex took her place, frowning in confusion. Did he mean that? She had told him that he had no reason to worry because she had wanted him forever and she wasn't going anywhere, ever. Was he talking about that part of the conversation too, or had he just meant that he wouldn't ever cheat on her?

"Come over tonight?" She asked him as they left the rehearsals.

"How about you come over?" Beck asked softly as they walked out of the school.

"Now?" Alex asked, looking up at him. He nodded. "I need to go home first."

"I'll come with you," he said. "Then you don't have to bring your car."

"I can just park down the street," she said, knowing he didn't want her car in the driveway overnight. His mom would definitely notice that.

"Yes but its harder for you to escape when you don't have a car," he said lowly into her ear as they came to a stop by her car. She shivered.

"I'm not going to try escaping," she whispered, then chuckled. "Besides, it's only like a mile to my house, I could run it."

"Not if I hide your shoes," he said, grinning. She rested a hand on his cheek over the bandage, frowning.

"Does it hurt?" Alex asked, her voice concerned.

"No," Beck said, shaking his head a little. "Not as much as I bet Jessica's jaw is hurting her right now."

"She deserved it," Alex muttered, dropping her hand. He caught it in his.

"No she didn't," Beck said, looking serious now. "You can't go punching every girl who flirts with me."

"I didn't punch her because she flirted with you," Alex protested. He gave her a look. "Well, maybe a little. But it was mostly because she hurt you."

"It's just a scratch," he said, shaking his head again. She squeezed his hand.

"Her face will heal just fine," Alex said, not feeling sorry at all. "Probably."

"Alex…" Beck said, then sighed.

"Okay, okay," Alex said, giving up. "I won't punch any other girls that flirt with you."

"Good," Beck said.

"Unless they really deserve it," Alex amended. Beck gave her a look, and she smiled at him.

"You shouldn't punch any of them," Beck said, shaking his head. "But I'll accept that for now."

"Excuse me, but I seem to recall that you punched James Drango in the fourth grade because he pushed me down during tag," Alex said, laughing. "You dislocated his jaw."

"He didn't just push you down," Beck said, defending himself. "He kicked you in the stomach too."

"On accident!" Alex said, grinning up at him. "He tripped over me."

"Well then I'll send him an apology card," Beck said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, lets go work on that History paper."

"What a fantastic date," Alex said, chuckling now.

"It's not a date," Beck said, his face serious now. "But I will take you on one of those. How about Saturday? We can get sushi before the play."

"I'd love to," Alex said, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips, then his injured cheek. "See you at home in a minute."

He released her hand at last, turning to go to his own car as Alex got into hers.

* * *

"Did you guys get Sikowitz to take your side of the bet?" Alex asked as they were cuddled up against each other in Beck's trailer that night.

"Maybe," Beck said slowly. "How did you figure that out?"

"The way he worded the change in the bet earlier," Alex said, smiling to herself. She had been right.

"You are far too observant for your own good," Beck said, chuckling softly as he ran a hand down her back.

"I think the others are planning something," Alex admitted. "Tori wanted us all to come over after rehearsals for something."

"Why didn't you go?" Beck asked.

"Gee, choosing between spending time with you or spending time with Tori? How could I possibly not have chosen Tori?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"She's not that bad," Beck said, and Alex could see his mouth twitch up into a smile. She pulled her head back to look at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Do I need to punch her in the face too?" Alex asked, frowning.

"No," Beck said, sighing. "You didn't have to punch Jessica in the face either. I told her we were dating, after she scratched me."

"I wanted to ruin her pretty face," Alex said in a bored tone. "Temporarily of course. For now."

"Alex, you don't need to be jealous of anyone," Beck said, pulling her a little closer to him in a sort of hug. "Trust me."

"I do trust you," Alex said, sighing. "It's other people I don't trust." She paused for a moment, then glanced up at him again. "Are you mad? That I punched her?"

"No," Beck said, giving her a half smile. "I kind of like that you are so possessive."

"Really?" She asked, her voice wavering a little.

"I've always liked that about you," Beck said, smiling. "It was always so easy to make you jealous when we were little."

"I guess it still is," Alex said, resting her forehead back on his shoulder. He tightened the arm around her shoulders again in another little hug. "But I probably would have done the same thing even if I didn't like you. I mean, like like you. People do not hurt my friends without some sort of retaliation."

"I remember," Beck said, chuckling. "You pushed David Grayson out of a tree and broke his leg in eighth grade because he gave me a bloody nose during a lacrosse game."

"You knew about that?" Alex asked, lifting her head in surprise.

"Not until last year when I went back to visit and ran into him at Tim Hortons," Beck said, laughing. "We got to talking and he remembered that."

"I also filled Rachel Harrin's locker with shaving cream after she tripped you in the hallway in seventh grade," Alex said, snuggling back into him. "And one time when Grace said you were annoying I covered her entire bed in american cheese slices and turned the heat on high while she was gone at work so that when she came home it would be melted. She had to throw away the whole bed set because she couldn't get the cheese out."

"When did you do that?" Beck asked, chuckling.

"The year after we moved to Seattle," Alex said, smiling against his neck.

"I don't need you to protect me, you know," Beck said, his voice quiet. She frowned, glancing up at him.

"I didn't do it to protect you," she said. "You can protect yourself."

"Well then why did you?" He asked, looking down at her curiously.

"I…" She began, but she hesitated, then snuggled back into him. "I care about you. A lot."

"Oh," he said, his voice holding a tone she didn't understand. She pulled back to look at him again, confused, and he rolled so he was hovering above her, catching her by surprise. He looked down at her, his eyes shining, and his mouth twitched into a smile.

"What?" She asked when he didn't move.

"I just realized something," he said, grinning now. She stayed still under him, not really sure what was going on.

"What did you realize?" She asked, confused as she stared up at him. He leaned down to kiss her, and her hands went to his hair, pulling him closer. After a long moment, he pulled away to look down at her, his eyes glinting in the faint light coming from the street.

"You love me," he said softly, and she froze, holding her breath as she looked up at him, her eyes wide. He kissed her again, and it took her a moment to respond this time, her heart hammering in her chest. Finally, she kissed him back, pouring her emotions into the kiss, and he groaned in the back of his throat. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as her feelings overwhelmed her for a second, but she blinked and they were gone, and she focused on him fully, kissing back eagerly.

"We should sleep," Beck said nearly half an hour later. Both of them were still almost fully clothed in their pajamas, though the clothing was mussed from their make out session.

"Do we need to… talk about, uh," Alex began, her head still spinning from their kissing.

"Nope," Beck said, kissing her forehead as he laid down next to her. "Not if you don't want to. I can wait."

"Okay," she whispered, snuggling back into him. He stroked her hair with one hand, his other arm falling across his stomach next to hers.

"Good night," Beck whispered to her. She smiled, letting her eyes drift closed. This was her favorite way to fall asleep.

"Good night," she said softly.

* * *

"-and we already tried it on Beck and Andre but they didn't fall for it," Tori finished her explanation of their plan to trick the boys into using their phones. Alex sighed.

"You guys were too obvious about it," she said, shutting her locker as the first warning bell of the day rang out.

"Too obvious?" Cat asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," Alex said, shaking her head. "Have either of you ever actually lied to someone and had them believe you?"

"I don't like to lie," Cat said softly.

"Yeah, I'm not very good at it," Tori said, shrugging.

"And you want to be actresses?" Alex asked, snorting. "You know what, leave Robbie to me and Jade. I bet she's good at lying."

"What are you going to do?" Tori asked, following Alex to their morning acting class.

"I don't know yet," Alex said, shrugging. "But Jade will probably have some ideas."

"Ideas about what?" Jade asked, coming up behind them.

"Perfect timing," Alex said, turning to face her. "You two go ahead, we will catch up."

"Okay byeeee," Cat called, skipping down the hall. Tori sighed but followed after her.

"We need a new plan to trick the guys," Alex said when the hall was empty. "Tori told me about what you guys tried this morning and I think they were too obvious about it."

"I told them it wouldn't work," Jade said, rolling her eyes as the bell for the start of class rang. Neither girl cared that they were now late, since it was Sikowitz.

"I like the idea though," Alex said, shrugging. "But instead of a picture of Tori's mole, it should be some sort of contest."

"Contest?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Alex asid. "Like, we can say the cheer leading team is having a contest on The Slap where whoever wins gets to carpool to school with them for a week. Robbie would love that."

"What would the contest be though?" Jade asked.

"It doesn't matter," Alex said. "The second he went online the bet would be over."

"It needs to be something that will lure him though," Jade said. "A contest to see who can answer the most computer technology questions."

"Or maybe a contest to see who can guess which cheerleaders have fake boobs," Alex said, snorting.

"Do you think he would fall for that?" Jade asked, chuckling.

"Probably, it's Robbie," Alex said. "We can try it after class, but we need to make sure he's alone or the others will stop him."

"Should we get Tori and Cat to help?" Jade asked as they finally reached the classroom.

"Yes," Alex said, thinking. "But don't tell them they are helping."

"Oh," Jade said, smirking. "Good thinking."

"Okay," Alex said before they entered the room. "So right before the end of class, I'll trip Robbie, and you catch Tori and Cat in the hall, then as Robbie is picking his things up, we can talk about it in the hallway and he will hear."

"Perfect," Jade said, smirking as she pushed the doors open. Sikowitz didn't even notice they were late, he was turned around writing on the board as they took their seats. Beck gave Alex a curious look as she sat next to him, but she just shrugged. She didn't want to purposefully trick him, but if Robbie was the one to lose it for their side she wouldn't feel bad about it.

Towards the end of class, Sikowitz, luckily, made Robbie stay behind to help him put the props away. Alex nodded to Jade, then the door, and the other girl got up to catch Tori and Cat as the others left the classroom.

"I'll see you in a minute," she said to Beck as he waited for her. They didn't share their next class but they usually walked together since their classrooms were in the same hall.

"Are you up to something?" Beck asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No," Alex said, but she gave him a half smile. "I just need to talk to Cat about the song she wrote me and I don't want you to overhear."

"I'll hear the song eventually," Beck said, scowling at her.

"Yes but eventually isn't right now," she said, pushing him toward the door. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, then left, shaking his head. Finally the hall was empty and Sikowitz left through the back of the room, so Alex left the door open a little as Robbie collected his things.

"Hey, what's up?" Tori asked as Alex left the room. "Jade said you needed to talk to us?"

"Yeah," Alex said, glancing around to make sure the hall was empty. "You'll never guess what I heard before class."

"What?" Cat asked, leaning in closer.

"Well Sarah Addams said that the cheerleaders are having a contest on SplashFace," Alex said, leaning in a little while making sure her voice was loud enough to hear. "The winner gets a ride to school with them every day for a month."

"That's cool," Tori said. "But why do we care?"

"Well, you don't have a car," Alex said, shrugging. "I figured you'd rather ride with the cheerleaders than with Trina."

"That's so true," Tori said, leaning in. "What's the contest?"

"I'm not sure," Alex said, shrugging. "Sarah only told me a little. It doesn't start till ten."

"It's almost ten right now," Tori said, glancing at her watch.

"Well she said something about it being a photo editing contest," Alex said, shrugging again. "I think it's just a cheap way for the cheer team to get their yearbook pictures edited."

"Well we can't use a computer anyway," Tori said, sighing.

"Yeah but, a whole month without Trina every morning?" Alex said. "Isn't that worth giving up the bet? I mean, we can still get all A's in Sikowitz's classes. It's not like he's a hard grader."

"True, and I learned about photo editing last year in class," Tori said thoughtfully, then glanced at her watch again. "Crap, I'm going to be late for class."

She took off down the hallway, Alex hurrying to catch up to her. When they were a safe distance away from the classroom, Alex stopped her and Cat.

"Hey look," Alex said quietly. "I made all that up because I knew Robbie was listening. It was a trick, so don't actually give up on the bet."

"Ug, so I do have to ride with Trina?" Tori asked, pouting a little.

"If this worked and Robbie loses the bet for the guys, I'll give you a ride to school for a month," Alex offered, chuckling.

"Why are you being nice today?" Cat asked, frowning. "It's weird."

"I'm in a good mood today," Alex said, shrugging.

"Come on, let's go to class," Jade said, shoving her way through their little huddle.

* * *

"The cheer leading squad is having a contest on SplashFace?" Beck asked after rehearsals that day, his voice amused.

"Oh definitely," Alex said, shoving her books into her locker. "You should go check it out."

"Nice try, but we aren't falling for that," he said, leaning on one arm against the lockers.

"Stop posing like that," she said, pushing his arm down.

"I'm not posing!" He protested, taking a step closer to her.

"Yeah sure," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "What if I just stood around all day like this?" She leaned against the lockers in a very mocking model pose, arm thrown over her head so her elbow touched the lockers, and her hips jutted out to one side. She made the duck face for good measure, ruffling up her hair.

"That's kinda hot," he said, stepping forward to rest his hands on her hips. She rolled her eyes, standing normally again.

"I'm going to start copying your poses every time I notice them, then you'll see," she said, closing her locker.

"Fine," he said, leaning forward to kiss her for a second. "Are you coming over?"

"Can't," she said, hoisting her backpack over her shoulder as she stepped back. "Tori asked us all to go over to her house to help her keep Cat restrained."

"Good luck," he said, chuckling. "Andre wants us to meet in Sikowitz's classroom before school tomorrow to plan our revenge on you guys."

"Don't tell me that," Alex said, chuckling. "This is a bet you know."

"You aren't going to cheat," he said, smiling down at her.

"And what makes you think that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's not very nice," Beck said, pouting a little as he stepped toward her again. She copied his pout for a moment, but then she smiled.

"I'm not a very nice person," she said, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek, then turning to walk out to the parking lot.

"I think you are very nice," Beck said, catching up to her.

"Then I haven't been trying hard enough," she said, laughing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then," he said, hugging her goodbye.

Alex drove straight to Tori's house, knowing the others had probably beaten her there.

"Finally!" Jade said as Tori opened the door. "Thought you got lost."

"Is Cat tied on a leash?" Alex asked, walking into the living room. Cat was sitting by the stairs, pretending to text on her fake dog toy phone, and tethered to the stair railing.

"Yeah," Tori said, plopping back down onto the couch. "If we let her loose she runs for the nearest phone."

"Oh!" Cat said, looking at her toy. "I'm pretending I got another text! It's from Robbie's friend Billy Quan!" She got to her feet and walked out until the leash pulled her back. "All the way from Asia!" She added, not seeming concerned about the leash.

"It's kind of sad," Jade said, staring at Cat as she went back to her fake texting. "Watching Cat go mentally insane." Jade continued to explain. "I always thought it would happen more gradually."

"I texted Billy back!" Cat said, grinning at them all as Alex sat not he end of Tori's couch. "I said 'Yay Asia!' ahahaha, haha, oh my god, I wish it were real!"

"So what's our next plan to trick the guys?" Alex asked, changing the subject, but just then the door bell rang.

"Who is that?" Tori asked exasperatedly, getting up to open the door. Outside was a girl who looked to be in middle school, crying a little. "Hello," Tori said, frowning in concern.

"Will you help me?" The girl asked worriedly. "I'm lost."

"You're lost?" Tori asked, frowning.

"Uh huh," the girl said. "Will you please call my mom and tell her where I am?"

"Uh, sure," Tori said, shrugging. "I'll call your mom-"

"Wait!" Jade shouted, getting to her feet. Alex stood too, following Jade over to the door.

"What?" Tori asked, turning back to her.

"It's a trick!" Jade said, stomping as she walked. "To get us to use our phones!"

"It's not a trick!" The girl said immediately, crying a little.

"Who sent you?" Tori asked the girl angrily.

"I have asthma!" The girl said. Alex rolled her eyes at them.

"Was it Robbie?" Tori asked, still shouting. "Andre? Beck? Who!"

"I just got lost," she said. "I took the wrong bus."

"Well," Jade said, pushing Tori back from the door. "You know what happens to little girls with asthma who take the wrong bus?"

"What?" The girl asked, confused.

"They get a face full of door!" Jade shouted, slamming the door shut. Alex sighed, then pulled the door open again, stepping out to look down the street past the little girl who was still crying.

"What are you doing?" Tori hissed, pulling on Alex's arm.

"Tori, you have a house phone don't you?" Alex asked, and Tori nodded. "Great. You can go use it to call your mom yourself then," she told the girl. "It's in the kitchen."

"Alex!" Tori said, frowning at her.

"This way we aren't using technology and if she actually is lost, she gets to call her mom," Alex said, standing behind the little girl.

"Alright fine," Tori said. "Come in."

The girl looked between them for a moment, then sprinted down the driveway.

"Guess it was a trick," Alex said, shrugging, then coming back inside and closing the door.

"Those boys are terrible," Jade said, frowning.

There was a momentary silence, and then a tearing sound. They turned to look at Cat, who was staring at the two chewed ends of her leash.

"Cat!" Tori gasped.

"She chewed through her leash!" Jade said, surprised.

"I'm free!" Cat yelled, then made a dash toward the kitchen. They began to chase her around the living room, Tori blocking the front door, Jade blocking the stairs, and Alex blocking the patio door, and eventually they managed to tackle her to the floor, all of them laying across her to keep her down.

"So I heard that the boys are planning something for tomorrow," Alex said half an hour later when they had found a better way to restrain Cat. The other girl was currently handcuffed to the stair raining using a spare pair of Tori's dad's handcuffs they had found. The others were sitting on the couch.

"What is it?" Jade asked, picking at the ends of her hair.

"I don't know," Alex said, shrugging. "They are meeting in the morning to talk about it. I'm going to get to school early to listen in."

"We should plan something in return," Tori said, crossing her arms.

"Like what?" Jade asked. "They won't fall for anything."

"I wish there was a way to bribe Sikowitz onto our side," Alex said, frowning in thought.

"He's a teacher though, he's supposed to be neutral," Tori said, crossing her arms.

"Don't be naive," Alex snapped. "He's obviously on the boys side."

"What if we could get another teacher on our side?" Jade said, leaning forward a little.

"What good would that do?" Alex asked, sighing. "Sikowitz runs the bet."

"Yeah," Jade said slowly. "But if we could get someone else the boys wouldn't expect to be in on it to trick them, they might fall for it."

"Okay, but how?" Tori asked. "Pay Lane to literally shove his phone into one of their hands?"

"That's not a bad idea," Alex said. "It'll have to be Robbie, he's the most gullible."

"Yeah," Jade said, smirking. "We could get Lane to catch him in-between classes or something, when his guard is down."

"Yeah," Alex said, getting to her feet. "Lane could be walking past with his phone in hand and say something along the lines of 'Oh, hey Robbie, your smart, can you fix this?' and Robbie would eat it up."

"Fix what though?" Tori asked, confused.

"Doesn't matter, anything," Alex said. "We could change his phone language or something."

"Well, we can't do it," Jade said. "We would have to find someone else to do it."

"Sinjin," Alex said immediately. "I know just how to bribe him too."

"Perfect," Tori said, nodding. "So how do we get Lane in on the plan?"

"Lotion," Jade said immediately, grimacing. "He's obsessed with the stuff."

"Great," Alex said, grabbing her purse. "Leave everything to me. Don't try to do anything, any of you. We don't want to ruin it."

"Fine," Jade said, rolling her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Lotion shopping," Alex said, walking out the door and letting it slam shut behind her.

* * *

"What are you willing to give me in return?" Sinjin asked Alex the next morning when she had explained her plan to him.

"A hug," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Five seconds long, and I'll pat your pack."

"Hm, tempting offer," he said slowly, frowning in thought. "And all I have to do is change Lane's phone setting to Chinese?"

"That's it," Alex said, nodding. "And you can't tell anyone."

"How am I supposed to get his phone?" Sinjin asked.

"I'm going to distract him," Alex said. "I'll offer him lotion, you change the settings, then scamper off."

"Okay," Sinjin said, finally agreeing. "But I want the hug to be ten seconds, and a back stroke instead of a pat."

"Seven seconds," Alex countered.

"Eight," he argued.

"Fine, deal," she said, holding her hand out to shake his. "We'll do it after lunch. Meet me by the stairs."

"Yes!" Sinjin said, grinning at her, then jogging off down the hall.

It was still before seven, so the school was mostly empty. Alex made her way to Sikowitz's classroom, planning to eavesdrop on the boys conversation, but they were already inside when she got there.

"I'll word it very particularly," Sikowitz was promising. "Don't worry about a thing."

"Thanks dude," Andre said, and Alex hid herself around a corner as they began leaving the room.

"Yeah, we owe you," Beck said.

"Nonsense," Sikowitz said "Now go find somewhere else to be."

"I need to go get coffee for Alex," Robbie said when the three boys left the classroom. "I owe her one every day for two weeks.

"I need to go study for that test we have after lunch," Andre said, shaking his head.

"I forgot about that!" Robbie squeaked. "Chapter six right?"

"And seven," Andre said, nodding. Robbie squeaked again, then turned to run down the hallway. Beck told Robbie he would catch up with him, then turned towards where Alex was hiding.

"I know you're here," he said, and Alex sighed, stepping out from behind the corner.

"How'd you know?" She asked, walking up to him slowly.

"I had a feeling you would be," he said, smiling down at her. "Did you hear everything?"

"No," Alex said, frowning. "I only got here a second before you guys left. I didn't expect you to be meeting so early."

"I asked them to meet earlier yesterday," Beck said, chuckling. "Because I figured you would try to eavesdrop."

"You figured right," she said, sighing as she leaned into him. His arms went around her waist, and she rested her face against his shoulder. "I can't wait until we can use our phones again."

"They do make it a lot easier to make plans," Beck said, nodding against her hair. "I had to drive out to Robbie's house and Andre's place last night to tell them we should meet earlier."

"You poor baby," Alex said, chuckling.

"How was Cat?" Beck asked, his arms not moving from their place around her shoulders.

"A nightmare," Alex said, chuckling against him. "We had to handcuff her to Tori's stair railings to keep her from beating us up to get to a phone. And it was very low of you guys to use a little girl to try to trick us."

"That was Andre's idea," Beck said, chuckling. "And he didn't believe her when she told us you were going to let her come in and use a phone on her own. He said there was no way you would be that considerate."

"She was little, and crying," Alex said, shrugging against him. "I just wanted to make sure she didn't really need help."

"Deep down you are a huge softy," Beck said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Don't go telling people that," she said, finally pulling back. "I have a reputation to maintain."

"Of course," he said, laughing as he took her hand. They walked down the hallway enjoying the quiet before a bunch of other people got there. "Are you going to be upset if the girls lose?"

"No," Alex said, shrugging. "I kind of like not having a phone to depend on. I learned how to use a really old camera, and I didn't realize before this how much time I spend on my phone."

"So when we beat you you won't be upset?" He asked again.

"You aren't going to beat us," Alex said, chuckling. "Just because you didn't fall for our plot doesn't mean we are going to use our phones first."

"You aren't planning something again, are you?" Beck asked, peering over at her. She rolled her eyes, purposefully trying to look annoyed.

"We were going to plan something yesterday," Alex began. "But your dumb little girl came, and then Cat got loose and we had to trap her again, and by the time we got her cuffed, I had to get home. Grace has still been throwing up."

"How is she other than the morning sickness?" Beck asked, not spotting her slight fib.

"Fine," Alex said, shrugging. "I think she's just starting to get excited about being pregnant. She always wanted kids when we were younger, and now that I've finally gotten her to stop worrying so much about money and things, she's relaxing a little."

"That's good," he said, nodding. "When my mom was pregnant last she was an absolute nightmare."

"Woah, wait," Alex said, tugging him to a stop. "You have a sibling? And you didn't tell me?"

"Oh," Beck said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I forgot you didn't know, since you know everything else. Yeah, I have a brother, he's four."

"Wow," Alex said, shocked. "I missed a lot."

"His name is Brayden," Beck said, chuckling. "My mom likes weird names that start with B."

"Your name isn't that weird," Alex said, glancing up at him. "And Braydon is sort of common."

"I guess," Beck said, shrugging.

"I can't believe I didn't know that," Alex said, shaking her head.

"Know what?" Jade asked from behind them.

"That Beck had a brother," Alex said, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah," Jade said, smirking a little. "He's cute, you know, for a kid. You didn't know about Braydon?"

"No," Alex said, glancing at Jade, who wore a strange, almost gloating expression on her face.

"Guess you don't know Beck that well after all," Jade said, then turned to go to her locker. Alex stared after her for a minute, frowning.

"Hey, come on," Beck said. "It's not a big deal, you can meet him whenever you want. They're coming to opening night of the play tomorrow."

"Yeah," Alex said, turning back to him, but her mind was thinking over Jade's words.

She was right, Alex really didn't know Beck that well. She knew about his childhood and everything, but not who he had become in the last five years. She didn't know he was a brother. What else did she not know? She had fallen right back into the way they had been in the past without a second thought, not even realizing that there were things she didn't know, and things he didn't know about her either. A lot of things could change in five years.

"Don't do that," Beck said, drawing her eyes up to him. They had walked to their lockers without her noticing.

"Do what?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Overthink," he said, tapping her forehead. "I can tell you are because you scowl and look like you are about to run away."

"I'd like to go on a run right now," she said, opening her locker to get her books.

"Hey," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's not a bad thing that you don't know everything about me. It just means we have more to talk about."

"I guess," she said, sighing. "I just didn't even think, really. I just kinda let it feel as if we didn't spend five years not being friends. I guess I just don't really know who you are anymore."

"I'm still me," Beck said softly, cupping her cheek. "You still know me, there's just a little more to know now."

"Alex!" Robbie called, running over to them as he entered the building again. "I got your coffee."

"Thanks," she said without thinking, and he looked surprised. "Now get out." He handed it over, then ran.

"Stop thinking about it," Beck said after a moment, tapping her forehead again. She sighed.

"Jade knows you so much better than I do," Alex said, speaking her thoughts aloud.

"No she doesn't," Beck said, shaking his head. "Even when we were dating our relationship was mostly superficial." Alex didn't say anything, and Beck frowned. "Are you jealous of her?" He asked incredulously.

"Of course I am," Alex said, crossing her arms defensively. "She got to know you for the last four years and I didn't."

"There you go again, being sappy," Beck said, smiling. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I wasn't trying to be sappy," Alex said, sighing, but she relaxed a little.

"I know," he said, chuckling. "That's what makes it sappy. I'll see you at lunch," he said as the warning bell rang. She sighed and nodded, then leaned up to kiss his cheek as they parted ways.

* * *

"Lane!" Alex called out, waving the teacher down in the hall on his way to the bathroom. The lunch bell had rung nearly ten minutes ago, and Alex and Sinjin had been waiting in the hallway the whole time, waiting for the moment Lane would leave the room. She had decided against trying to bribe the teacher to be on their side of the bet, assuming that he would be easy to manipulate. The man turned to face her, one hand clutching his phone, the other rubbing over the back of that one. Alex caught the strong scent of lavender and citrus as she approached.

"Hello," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You're the guidance councilor right?" Alex asked, watching as Sinjin went to stand behind the man. "I don't think I've met you yet, I'm Alex, I just started this year."

"Yes, of course, Alexandra Zeller," Lane said, and Alex sighed, but kept her smile on her face. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I was hoping I could make an appointment to come talk to you," Alex began, grinning inwardly as his eyes sparked with excitement. She had assumed, correctly, that most students avoided him unless they absolutely had to see him. "You see, recently I've been having a lot of trouble at home," Alex began, rambling in hopes he would become distracted. "I live with my older sister and we just found out she's expecting and it's been really difficult for me to cope with everything that's been going on- oh, hey, is that the new Pear Phone 6? Could I see it for a sec? I was thinking about getting one but I don't know if I'll like it."

"What?" He asked, confused at the change of subject. "Oh yeah, uh, sure." He handed the phone over to her.

"Anyway, about my sister," Alex said, not even glancing down at the phone. "I've always been the youngest in the family and ever since my parents disowned me I've been worrying about-"

"You're parents disowned you?" Lane asked, frowning in concern. Alex shifted her weight so that she was standing closer to the door, where Sinjin was standing, apparently invisible to the teacher. Alex held the phone out for him as she started speaking again.

"Yeah, well," Alex began, purposefully looking like she was trying to hide how upset she was. "They don't approve of my choice to become a musician. Anyway they live in Seattle, and my sister and I moved here, but I've just been so stressed about what's going to happen when she has her baby, what if she kicks me out too?" Alex was definitely reaching now. While it hurt that her dad didn't approve of her, she had learned to accept that years ago, and she wasn't even the slightest bit concerned about Grace leaving her.

"Goodness, it seems like you have a lot on your shoulders," Lane said, rubbing his hands together. "Yes, we can definitely make an appointment, come to my office for a second."

"Sure thing," Alex said, making it look as though she were going to follow him, then hesitating. "Oh, one sec, my hands are a bit dry, I think I have some lotion in here…" She trailed off, ruffling through her backpack.

"I have some if you would like," Lane began, but Alex pulled out the bottle she had gone to purchase yesterday.

"No thanks, I just got this," Alex said, rubbing a little onto her hands. "It smells like bacon. Oh! And it tastes good too, want to try some?" She held it out, and Lane reached out, eyes wide. She glanced at Sinjin, who held the phone out to her, and took it from him.

"This is excellent," Lane said, licking the back of his hand. "Fantastic really."

"I know," Alex said. "Oh hey, do you want this one? I have two more at home."

"That's so nice of you," he said, taking the bottle.

"Oh, and here's your phone back," Alex said, grinning. "It's pretty cool. I think I will get one."

"Yeah it's great," Lane said, easily distracted once again. "So much better than the five, it can- oh, what's this?"

"Is everything okay?" Alex asked, frowning in fake concern.

"No," Lane said, poking at his phone. Sinjin had left a moment ago, presumably doing as he was told and luring Robbie into the hallway. "There seems to be something wrong with my phone, I'm not sure what happened."

"Oh," Alex said, hearing talking coming from down the hall. "I'd offer to help but I don't really know anything about Pear Phone's, I've had an old Infinity for years. My friend Robbie is really good with Pear Phones though. He's out at lunch, I bet he could fix it for you."

"I'll go ask him," Lane said, still staring down at his phone. "Right after we make an appointment for you of course."

"Oh, that's okay," Alex said, smiling. "I'll come by after school to make it. You can go fix your phone now."

"Right," Lane said. "Well it was nice talking with you Alex, see you later."

"Bye," Alex said, waving as he walked away. She waited a few minutes, then went out to the courtyard with her lunch, smiling.

"Hey," the others at the table greeted as she sat.

"Hey," she replied, looking around. "Where's Robbie?"

"Off with that other freak," Jade said, rolling her eyes.

"What is that?" Beck asked after a moment, leaning closer to sniff her. "Do you smell like bacon?"

"Oh yeah," she said, chuckling as she lifted her hand. "It's this new lotion I got."

"It's weird," Cat said, sniffing her hand too. "Can I have some?"

"I don't have it anymore," Alex said, shrugging. "I gave it to Lane."

"Oh," Cat said, then she perked up and opened her mouth, understanding why Alex would be giving lotion to Lane, and Alex kicked her under the table. "Ow!" Cat said, clutching her leg.

"What happened?" Andre asked from her other side.

"Alex kicked me," Cat said, her voice accusatory.

"Oh, sorry," Alex said. "I didn't mean to."

"Oh, okay," Cat said, turning back to her lunch. Alex turned to hers as well, but caught Beck looking at her suspiciously. She tilted her head a little, giving him a half smile, and his eyes widened.

"I knew you were up to something!" He said, standing quickly. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Alex said, frowning. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play innocent," Beck said, narrowing his eyes at her. "You did something to make us lose the bet. I knew it this morning. I saw your car when I got here, why else would you be here that early?"

"Because I was trying to eavesdrop on your guys' plans," Alex said, rolling her eyes, and trying to keep him talking as long as possible. "But I missed the conversation. I told you that this morning!"

"You were spying on us?" Andre accused, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course I was," Alex said, sighing. "After you guys tried to trick us with that little girl-"

"What little girl?" Andre asked, trying to seem innocent.

"Cut the crap," Jade snapped. "We know you guys sent her."

"Did you do something?" Beck asked Alex again, and she looked up to meet his eyes. She really didn't want to outright lie to him, but she couldn't betray her side, and she had to keep him there as long as possible. She doubted she would be able to lie convincingly to him anyway, he knew her too well, or at least, he had known her too well. Maybe now he didn't. She didn't really know him anymore after all.

As though he could hear what she was thinking, his eyes softened a little.

"Oh no," Andre said. "Robbie!"

"Crap," Beck said, grabbing his things and running after Andre.

"So?" Tori asked when they were gone. "Did you do something?"

"Of course I did," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "But I think we stalled them enough that it should be safe."

"What did you do?" Jade asked, leaning across the table a little.

"Bribed Sinjin to change the language on Lane's phone, then to get Robbie into the hallway right after I told Lane that Robbie was really good with Pear Phones and could probably fix his for him," Alex explained, smirking. "Robbie and Sinjin would have been the only ones in the hall, so Lane probably didn't ask anyone else to help him."

"Did it work?" Cat asked, her eyes wide. "Did we win?"

"I don't know," Alex said, shrugging. "I didn't stick around to see because I didn't want to make Robbie suspicious. I was trying to make it so he was caught off guard. I know he's worrying about that test he has after lunch."

"You are devious," Jade said, smirking at her. "I like it."

"Be careful though," Alex said, warning them. "Sikowitz is definitely on their side and this morning I heard him say that he will 'word it carefully'," she said, raising her hands to make air quotes. "I'm not sure what he's planning, but think about what he says before you do anything."

"Right," Tori said, looking determined. "There's the bell. I'll see you guys at rehearsal."

The others stood, gathering their things for their next class. Today was the last day of rehearsals before opening night, and Alex was a little nervous, though she would never admit it. She had never been in any sort of live performance where she had lines before. Sure she had sung on stage, and that was fine, and she had made a lot of videos for SplashFace and Youtube, but those she could edit before anyone saw them. This time, if she messed up, everyone would know immediately.

She looked around the halls for the guys, but didn't see any of them on her way to class.

* * *

"Where's Robbie?" Alex asked, using both hands to hold up the heavy skirts of the dress she had to wear for the play. "He missed his cue."

"His costume is still on the rack," Tori said, poking her head around the side of the set.

"Dang nabbit," Sikowitz said, slapping his script down onto the chair beside him as he stood. "Where is Robbie?"

The moment they all turned to look around the room, the doors opened and Robbie came running in, grinning, and wearing some sort of ridiculous pink fairy costume.

"Here I am!" He shouted, posing in the aisle for a few seconds, then strutting around the set while the others laughed. Alex covered her mouth, trying to cover her chuckles. They were still technically rehearsing after all.

"Oh my god," Jade said as she watched Robbie do a little ballet type jump in the air.

"Why are you dressed that way?" Sikowitz asked, looking him over with confusion.

"Cuz I'm the scuba fairy!" Robbie said, pointing to a pair of scuba goggles on top of his head. "And I'm here to grant all of your under water wishes!"

"That is an embarrassing costume," Andre said, chuckling.

"Really embarrassing," Beck added in a fake surprised tone, and suddenly Alex understood what the boys were trying to do.

"Yeah," Robbie said, still hopping around. "So nobody better take a picture of me and post it online!"

"I have to take a picture of him and post it online," Cat said immediately. Alex jumped down from the little raised stage area and went to her backpack, digging out the old camera she had been carrying around all week.

"No!" Tori said, joining the others on the stage. "That's what the guys want us to do so we'll lose the bet!"

"Who cares?" Jade asked. "Look at him! This is too good!"

"Take a pic!" Andre and Beck started chanting from their seats "Take a pic!"

"Hey Robbie," Alex called, making the boy turn. She snapped a picture of him, catching the square of photo paper as it was ejected from the camera. She snapped another one of him too, just in case the first one was blurry.

"Hey!" Robbie said, holding his arms up and turning to Andre and Beck. "You guys said no one would have a camera!"

"It's not a digital one," Andre said, shrugging. "She can't upload it."

"We have to upload it!" Cat said, and Tori began arguing with her as the boys continued egging them on to use their phones.

"Stifle! Stifle!" Sikowitz yelled over their arguing, and they all fell silent. "I am a teacher, and I am tired of this nonsense." He turned back to his seat, grabbing the box of phones that had been on the floor next to him. "Here," he said, walking over to place it on the table. "If you want your phones, take them." He walked to the back of the room as the girls around the table glanced at each other. A second later, everyone in the room had jumped up and darted to the box to get their phones.

"Wait!" Alex called suddenly, holding her arms out. Everyone froze. "It's a trick!"

"No it's not!" Jade said, frowning. "Sikowitz just ended the bet."

"No he didn't," Alex said, watching Beck and Andre glance at each other. "He didn't say the bet was over. He said 'if you want your phones, take them', it's a trick!" When she finished talking, a loud gong filled the room and they all turned toward the doors.

"You are too clever for me, Alex," Sikowitz said, hanging the stick back on its holder beside the giant gong. "But it's too late. Cat already turned her phone on."

"Cat!" Tori cried as they all turned to look at the redhead.

"Sorry!" She said, holding her phone up.

"Ha!" Robbie cried, pointing to the phone. "We win!"

"Boy power! Boy power!" They began to chant, hoping around the girls as Sikowitz joined them.

"Woah woah woah," Alex said, raising her voice. "Just a moment. Sinjin!" She shouted up at the catwalk. The curly haired boy was wearing headphones and holding a clipboard, but he dropped both of them to go running down the stairs. Alex, moving as fast as she could in the stupid long skirts, ran to the base of the stairs to grab the collar of his shirt before he could get away. She dragged him towards the front of the room.

"I swear I didn't do it," he whined when she released him. He coward, even though he was at least half a foot taller than she was. She put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Is there something you would like to tell us?" Alex asked, scowling. "Maybe something that happened today, during the lunch hour… with Robbie… and a cell phone?"

"What?" Andre asked, turning to Robbie, who looked scared.

"You told us you didn't use it," Beck said.

"What is going on here?" Sikowitz asked, clearly confused.

"Robbie used Lane's phone during lunch," Alex said. "I saw him," she added, though that was a complete lie.

"I didn't use it," Robbie protested. "I just fixed the language-"

"Ah ha!" Tori interrupted, pointing at him. "So you did use it?"

"He just shoved it into my hands!" Robbie said to Andre and Beck, both who looked angry now. "I didn't mean to, it was an accident!"

"Sinjin," Alex said, turning glare at him again. "You were there to spy on him, did you see?"

"I've been paid not to tell," Sinjin said, withering under her glare. She narrowed her eyes.

"Remember our deal?" Alex asked, suddenly getting an idea. Sinjin nodded. "Double or nothing if you talk."

"Robbie used Lane's phone for 6.4 seconds at exactly 11:18 this morning," Sinjin said immediately. "He changed the language settings from Japanese to English."

"That hall was empty!" Robbie cried. "There's no way you could have seen… You set me up!" He said, pointing to Alex. "You didn't see me use the phone, Sinjin was the only one there."

"If this is true," Sikowitz said, frowning. "Then the girls have won the bet."

"It's true," Sinjin said, nodding. "I took a picture on my phone." He held out his phone to Sikowitz, showing him a picture of Robbie hunched over a phone, and it was dated that morning.

"I'm sorry guys," Robbie said, hanging his head.

"Woah!" Tori said, interrupting them all. "I have 43 new text messages."

"I have 200 more followers," Jade said, also looking down at her phone.

"Look at the wacky donkey!" Cat gasped, holding her phone out for them to see.

"Hey now," Sikowitz said, gathering their attention again. "We still have a dress rehearsal going on. Robbie, go get in costume. The rest of you," he glanced at Cat, who had laughed so hard she was now throwing up into the box the phones had been in. "Take a ten minute break."

"Ah ah ah," Sinjin said as the group broke up. "A deal is a deal," he told Alex, who sighed.

"Set a timer on your phone," she told Tori. "16 seconds." Tori did as she was told, confused, and Alex gestured for Sinjin to come closer, then she very hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, patting his back as Tori started the timer. Jade was full out laughing, and Alex thought she could hear some chuckles from the guys too.

"We agreed on a back stroke," Sinjin said, and Alex grimaced as she stroked his back twice.

"Time!" Tori called, and Alex jumped back.

"I need to go… disinfect myself," Alex said, holding her arms away from her body as though they were covered in something gross. "I'm so glad these aren't my real clothes."

"You bribed Sinjin with a hug?" Tori asked, laughing now too as Sinjin went back up to the catwalk.

"Yes," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "Get the sweater off me." Tori helped her pull the sweater she had been wearing over her costume dress over her head, and Alex sighed, relaxing a little.

"What should I do with it?" Tori asked, holding the sweater.

"Burn it," Alex said, shuddering. "I'll get a new one."

"Aren't you going to turn your phone on?" Cat asked, gesturing to Alex's Pear Phone, still sitting on the table. Alex shrugged and went over to it, switching it on.

"I sort of liked not having our phones," Alex said, leaning against the table. "It was a lot more peaceful."

"I'm glad the bet is over," Tori said, shaking her head as she read through her texts.

"You know," Alex said slowly. "We didn't technically win. The bet was to go a full week, it's only been three full days."

"Sh," Jade said, punching her arm. "You want Sikowitz to hear and take away our A's?"

"Sorry," Alex said, rubbing her arm as she retreated to the empty audience area, plopping down in the chair next to Beck.

"Hey," he said, looking down at his phone screen.

"Are you mad we won?" Alex asked, glancing down at her screen. There was nothing new there, because she'd had all her messages forwarded to Olivia. She ended the call forwarding as Beck replied.

"No," he said. "Though I'd really like to know how you orchestrated the whole lunchtime thing. Did you bribe Lane with hand lotion?"

"No," Alex said, chuckling. "That was just a distraction method so that Sinjin could change the settings without him noticing."

"Very sneaky of you," he said, nudging her with his shoulder, then he turned back to his phone and sighed. "I have over two hundred messages to go through."

"Are those the texts from that gank?" Alex asked, scowling.

"Easy there," Beck said, resting a hand on her knee. "You already punched her in the face. No need to attack her again."

"I wasn't going to attack her," Alex said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair. "Maybe, plan an 'accident' or something…" she mumbled.

"Look," Beck said, holding his phone out for her to see. "She hasn't texted me since you punched her. No need for any 'accidents' to happen."

"I guess," Alex said, shrugging. "For now." He looked over at her, half smiling, half smirking as he raised an eyebrow.

"I like it when you get possessive," Beck said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to pull her in. She rolled her eyes, but smiled, leaning in to him.

"I know you do it on purpose," she told him. "The making me jealous thing. You've done it since we were little."

"Yet you still fall for it," Beck said, kissing her temple. "Looks like we're back," he said as Sikowitz strolled out from behind the set. Alex sighed and stood, then went back up to the stage.


End file.
